FAA fires Dallas ATC managers

[Beanbag]

Apparently a couple of ATC managers were in the habit of reporting ATC mistakes as pilot errors: http://www.atwonline.com/news/story.html?storyID=12516
Posted without comment, just for interest

[jetjackel]

What a surprise.

[ATC Watcher]

And the US Controllers reaction to this :

“NATCA is not surprised that FAA management at DFW TRACON went to such lengths to hide errors. The staffing at this facility is atrocious and dangerously unsafe. It is inadequate to ensure the highest safety margin. There is a clear correlation between falling staffing levels and the FAA’s desperation to hide or reclassify a rising number of errors in an attempt to conceal the true safety risk. There are currently just 57 fully trained and certified controllers at DFW TRACON. That is down from 99 in January 2006 and the 80 that were on staff in January 2007. At least four of the current fully trained and certified controllers will retire by September. There are 22 trainees on board but nine have not certified on any of the radar positions in the facility.

“Overtime is an epidemic at this facility because of the low staffing numbers. That has forced FAA management to cut corners and even violate longstanding air regulations on maximum work hours. For example, on April 17, one controller was forced to work over the limit of 10 hours on a shift. The same thing happened just yesterday.”


the whole NATCA reaction on : http://www.natca.org/mediacenter/press-release-detail.aspx?id=505

[coolbeans202]

This was the lead story (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/24/AR2008042403939.html?hpid=moreheadlines) in the Washington Post this morning.

[controllerzhu]

I believe the FAA usually promotes managers that perform in this manner.
CZHU

[mmciau]

Fired?
I believe the FAA usually promotes managers that perform in this manner.
CZHU


Ah! The often-used management tool of:

"promoting someone one-level beyond their competence"

Mike McInerney