FAA negligence puts air traffic controllers under pressure
- I don't want to be responsible for killing 400 people, says Jonathan Stewart, an experienced air traffic controller who prevented a dangerous collision in the airspace over New Jersey. He reveals the behind-the-scenes work under pressure and accuses the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of serious negligence, reports the Wall Street Journal.
The Wall Street Journal details Jonathan Stewart's story, who was on his fourth hour of duty when he noticed two planes on the radar heading directly towards each other.
He compares his job to a high-speed, three-dimensional chess game played at 400 kilometres per hour. In this instance, he responded swiftly by directing the pilots to alter their flight paths, successfully preventing a collision. Nonetheless, following the incident on May 4th, Stewart took a leave of absence due to stress.
This is not an isolated incident. An increasing number of controllers in the USA are taking trauma-related leaves. The reason is the challenging working conditions and the continuous failures of the FAA system. - I don't want to be responsible for killing 400 people, Stewart repeats.
For 25 years, he has professionally managed airspace traffic. He currently works in the Tracon unit, which controls approaches to Newark Airport, among other things.
High earnings but health suffers
Although he earns up to £370,000 annually (including overtime), he speaks openly: this job comes at the cost of one's health. - You give up nights, weekends, holidays, birthdays, everything else. Your mental health and your physical health take a toll, he emphasises.
Failure? It's not a question, but a matter of time – controllers warn. Radar malfunctions, lack of communication, and radiotelephone outages are just some of the problems causing the FAA to limit the number of flights and implement temporary fixes. Stewart writes bluntly in the report that "the situation is, has been and continues to be unsafe. The amount of stress we are under is insurmountable."
The FAA claims it introduces new equipment, invests in training, and asks Congress for billions of dollars. The new Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, promises to prioritise facilities like the one in Philadelphia. Stewart admits, "for the first time that I'm aware of, they are throwing money at the problem."
