Possible medically impaired controller-LAS
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Possible medically impaired controller-LAS
http://archive-server.liveatc.net/kl...2B3sl6O-qkcjsk
Be careful out there. Sounds like she had a serious medical event. Took a long time for her to be removed from her position.
Be careful out there. Sounds like she had a serious medical event. Took a long time for her to be removed from her position.
Sounds like she had a very unfortunate meltdown of some kind. I feel sorry for her; you can hear her falling apart towards the end of the recording.
As said; provides compelling evidence solo controllers are not a good idea.
As said; provides compelling evidence solo controllers are not a good idea.
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Sounds like she may have suffered a stroke or TIA, what they call a cerebro vascular accident these days. Diminishing ability to speak degenerating into word salad then just coughing, probably because she couldn’t swallow. I hope she recovers.
Yes, indeed. I think you're right - not a meltdown at all - very sad and yes, a speedy recovery to her.
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https://forums.liveatc.net/index.php...0;attach=10143
This one starts just a little earlier and you can clearly hear her ability to speak degrading. Also notice that she seems to be laughing and later on crying at inappropriate times. Those are also symptoms of a stroke or TIA.
If that’s what happened it’s a shame no one got to her sooner. Every second counts in those situations.
This one starts just a little earlier and you can clearly hear her ability to speak degrading. Also notice that she seems to be laughing and later on crying at inappropriate times. Those are also symptoms of a stroke or TIA.
If that’s what happened it’s a shame no one got to her sooner. Every second counts in those situations.
https://forums.liveatc.net/index.php...0;attach=10143
This one starts just a little earlier and you can clearly hear her ability to speak degrading. Also notice that she seems to be laughing and later on crying at inappropriate times. Those are also symptoms of a stroke or TIA.
If that’s what happened it’s a shame no one got to her sooner. Every second counts in those situations.
This one starts just a little earlier and you can clearly hear her ability to speak degrading. Also notice that she seems to be laughing and later on crying at inappropriate times. Those are also symptoms of a stroke or TIA.
If that’s what happened it’s a shame no one got to her sooner. Every second counts in those situations.
Best wishes to her.
Reading all the forums and the recently released FAA statement, starting to think this was not a medical episode going by the language used. Perhaps some kind of painkiller or other over the counter medication which saw her performance quickly go downhill?
Just listened to the recording an hour prior and she sounds perfectly fine. Whatever it was, it came on very quick.
Just listened to the recording an hour prior and she sounds perfectly fine. Whatever it was, it came on very quick.
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FAA makes staffing policy changes after Vegas controller found incapacitated
The FAA is implementing a new controller staffing policy after a tower controller became incapacitated while working the midnight shift at McCarran International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Major airport towers no longer will be able to combine controller responsibilities to one position prior to midnight and 90 min. after the start of the shift, allowing another controller to go on break, FAA said Nov. 9.
Major airport towers no longer will be able to combine controller responsibilities to one position prior to midnight and 90 min. after the start of the shift, allowing another controller to go on break, FAA said Nov. 9.
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SLF here, but an EMT. - What I listened to certainly does fit the profile of a stroke from training and similar to witnessed events.
The coughing was probably due to loss of facial/throat muscular control, I would expect to see the face fallen on one side. Unlikely to be a TIA (Transient Ischemic Event) due to the length and apparent degree of the event.
Not very good news that she seemed to be working alone. Stroke awareness (in the UK at least) goes under the acronym FAST (Face drooping; Arm weakness, Speech = Time to call emergency medics), every minute untreated is a bit more dead brain tissue. I hope she'll make a good recovery though.
I would doubt medicine/alcohol related causes as she seemed to function well earlier in the shift. An allergic reaction (anaphylatic reaction) to something can't be ruled-out either.
Glad to see pilots keeping their situational awareness keen, I presume it could have been much worse with possibility of a collision.
The coughing was probably due to loss of facial/throat muscular control, I would expect to see the face fallen on one side. Unlikely to be a TIA (Transient Ischemic Event) due to the length and apparent degree of the event.
Not very good news that she seemed to be working alone. Stroke awareness (in the UK at least) goes under the acronym FAST (Face drooping; Arm weakness, Speech = Time to call emergency medics), every minute untreated is a bit more dead brain tissue. I hope she'll make a good recovery though.
I would doubt medicine/alcohol related causes as she seemed to function well earlier in the shift. An allergic reaction (anaphylatic reaction) to something can't be ruled-out either.
Glad to see pilots keeping their situational awareness keen, I presume it could have been much worse with possibility of a collision.
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As a controller for the last 30+ years, I found this extremely difficult to listen to. From day one you are told with a chuckle to keep your board up to date in case you become incapacitated, never expecting it to actually happen. The unfortunate thing is that she was on her own which is not at uncommon scenario at even the busiest towers during the quiet hours.
This made me think how I may have handled this.
She is probably unaware what is happening to her and has no reason to suspect things are going to go bad really fast. If you have something acute, chest pains for example, you might think to recall the other controller, but with an insidious event like this, you may feel OK right up to the point where you can no longer take action to help yourself.
The aircrew obviously were alarmed by what they were hearing and took action to ensure safety was not compromised. I hope that if I were in her position that I could count on aircrew to take action on my behalf: don't ask for taxi, listen to what is going on and if you deem it necessary, call for assistance on my behalf either on your previous frequency on by phone.
None of the towers I've worked at have any formal rapid recall procedure (panic button) but I think that may change. This is more likely than providing an extra controller on night shift.
I don't see how having a specified time (midnight or 90 minutes on shift) before combining will mitigate this. If you're going to have an episode, it isn't more likely to happen before midnight than after. I doubt that a combined workload was a contributing factor but I can see that the FAA would want to be seen to be doing something, even if its really nothing.
I hope she gets all the help she needs.
Keep safe.
This made me think how I may have handled this.
She is probably unaware what is happening to her and has no reason to suspect things are going to go bad really fast. If you have something acute, chest pains for example, you might think to recall the other controller, but with an insidious event like this, you may feel OK right up to the point where you can no longer take action to help yourself.
The aircrew obviously were alarmed by what they were hearing and took action to ensure safety was not compromised. I hope that if I were in her position that I could count on aircrew to take action on my behalf: don't ask for taxi, listen to what is going on and if you deem it necessary, call for assistance on my behalf either on your previous frequency on by phone.
None of the towers I've worked at have any formal rapid recall procedure (panic button) but I think that may change. This is more likely than providing an extra controller on night shift.
I don't see how having a specified time (midnight or 90 minutes on shift) before combining will mitigate this. If you're going to have an episode, it isn't more likely to happen before midnight than after. I doubt that a combined workload was a contributing factor but I can see that the FAA would want to be seen to be doing something, even if its really nothing.
I hope she gets all the help she needs.
Keep safe.
Last edited by cossack; 10th Nov 2018 at 22:02.
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SLF here, but an EMT. - What I listened to certainly does fit the profile of a stroke from training and similar to witnessed events.
The coughing was probably due to loss of facial/throat muscular control, I would expect to see the face fallen on one side. Unlikely to be a TIA (Transient Ischemic Event) due to the length and apparent degree of the event.
Not very good news that she seemed to be working alone. Stroke awareness (in the UK at least) goes under the acronym FAST (Face drooping; Arm weakness, Speech = Time to call emergency medics), every minute untreated is a bit more dead brain tissue. I hope she'll make a good recovery though.
I would doubt medicine/alcohol related causes as she seemed to function well earlier in the shift. An allergic reaction (anaphylatic reaction) to something can't be ruled-out either.
Glad to see pilots keeping their situational awareness keen, I presume it could have been much worse with possibility of a collision.
The coughing was probably due to loss of facial/throat muscular control, I would expect to see the face fallen on one side. Unlikely to be a TIA (Transient Ischemic Event) due to the length and apparent degree of the event.
Not very good news that she seemed to be working alone. Stroke awareness (in the UK at least) goes under the acronym FAST (Face drooping; Arm weakness, Speech = Time to call emergency medics), every minute untreated is a bit more dead brain tissue. I hope she'll make a good recovery though.
I would doubt medicine/alcohol related causes as she seemed to function well earlier in the shift. An allergic reaction (anaphylatic reaction) to something can't be ruled-out either.
Glad to see pilots keeping their situational awareness keen, I presume it could have been much worse with possibility of a collision.
As a controller for the last 30+ years, I found this extremely difficult to listen to. From day one you are told with a chuckle to keep your board up to date in case you become incapacitated, never expecting it to actually happen. The unfortunate thing is that she was on her own which is not at uncommon scenario at even the busiest towers during the quiet hours.
This made me think how I may have handled this.
Page break
I hope she gets all the help she needs.
Keep safe.
This made me think how I may have handled this.
Page break
I hope she gets all the help she needs.
Keep safe.
Thanks Cossack,
I’ve flown into LAS numerous times and remember her voice well - Quite recently in fact (last couple of months). She knew exactly what she was doing. They're a good natured, professional group. Hope she comes out ok.
I felt sorry for the male who walked in on this and found what appeared to be his colleague in distress and then had to pick up what was happening on the airfield.
Hope the lady is OK and well done to the replacement
Hope the lady is OK and well done to the replacement
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There is a lot of pressure to reduce staffing in these 24 hour units and anyone who has worked in them knows the boredom of the 1am to 4am hours and it is tempting to let people officially or unofficially 'nap' somewhere. But I always felt a little nervous that something like this kind of incident could occur. In some cases the person with the problem is, because of the problem, unaware that they have a severe medical issue. So a panic alarm will not do much good at all and the FAA idea for dual staffing but only till midnight shows that they have no concern for the individual controller but instead for the operation of the airport. I hope she recovers but half an hour delay in getting help for a stroke is a long time.
Perhaps the only way to get a reasonable response from the FAA would be to point out that a security response to the tower after 911 calls from aircraft should be a lot faster than 20 minutes.
Perhaps the only way to get a reasonable response from the FAA would be to point out that a security response to the tower after 911 calls from aircraft should be a lot faster than 20 minutes.