05.24.11

Cantwell: Committee Will Play ‘Active Role on Oversight’ of Air Traffic Control Safety

Senator holds hearing to examine air traffic controller fatigue and increase in operational errors ***VIDEO AVAILABLE***

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today at an Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security Subcommittee hearing on air traffic control safety oversight, U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) said the subcommittee would play an ‘active role’ on oversight of all the issues affecting safe air traffic control operations. The Aviation Subcommittee hearing follows recent incidents of air traffic controllers falling asleep while on duty, and a 53 percent increase in the number of operational errors reported between fiscal year 2009 and 2010.

“This committee is going to play an active role on oversight,” Cantwell said at the hearing. “We are going to continue to be diligent until we feel we have improved the safety and continue to implement those safety recommendations.”

The hearing is Cantwell’s first as Chair of the Aviation Subcommittee. Among those testifying today were Dr. Greg Belenky, Director of the Sleep and Performance Research Center at Washington State University. Watch videos of Cantwell’s opening remarks and her questioning of witnesses today.

Below are Cantwell’s opening remarks to the Subcommittee today.

“Thank you all very much for being here. Good afternoon and welcome. Today, the Aviation Committee is holding an oversight hearing on air traffic control safety. And I know my colleague, Senator Thune, will be here soon but I want to recognize his new role as ranking member for this subcommittee. And I say that I look forward to working with him.  The two issues we are going to focus on basically are the advent of a series of recent incidents where air traffic controllers fell asleep during night shifts and the increase in the number of reported operational errors by air traffic controllers.

“As you know, this year, there have been a number of reported incidents involving air traffic controllers sleeping on duty. And I’m deeply concerned, as I know the Chairman of the full Committee is about these incidents. Some are clearly examples of unprofessional behavior on the part of the individual controller. Their actions are totally unacceptable. Controllers do have a professional responsibility to come to work rested. Unfortunately, some have used those incidents to try and tarnish the reputation of the dedicated men and women who work every day to ensure that our airspace is the safest in the world.

“Air traffic controllers monitor 35,000 flights daily. Said another way, roughly two million air passengers come into contact with air traffic control each day. We can talk about how NextGen technologies are going to help us improve the system, but we can’t forget that at the heart of the air traffic control system are approximately 15,000 air traffic controllers.

“The incidents do serve to highlight the legitimate safety issues of air traffic controller fatigue, particularly those working on the midnight shift. There is no escaping the science that shift work has the potential to disrupt the circadian rhythms of the body and often leads to fatigue.

“Fatigue can seriously impair the work performance of individuals such as air traffic controllers, who perform tasks that require consistent concentration. Ultimately, this raises concerns for the safe operation of air traffic control systems.

“I applaud Secretary LaHood and Administrator Babbitt for taking some quick actions. I know these actions will be helpful and hope to improve some of the situation.

“The National Transportation Safety Board has examined and made recommendations on air traffic controller fatigue, most recently in the aftermath of the 2006 crash of Comair 5191 in Lexington, Kentucky. It took until 2009 for the FAA and NACTA to get their fatigue workgroup underway. My understanding is that they have jointly made a dozen recommendations to mitigate air traffic controller fatigue.

“The first two recommendations have to do with allowing air traffic controllers to recuperate during their break shift, particularly the midnight shift. Historically, the question of allowing air traffic controllers to take a break or nap has been a political one rather than a scientific one. There are decades of science on this issue and we look forward to hearing more about it today. And I want to say to Dr. Belenky thank you for coming all the way from the West Coast from Washington State University and we look forward to hearing more about the Sleep and Performance Research Center and the science behind it.

“I am likewise concerned by the 53 percent increase in reported operational errors between fiscal year 2009 and 2010. Operational errors are situations where planes come too close to one another in the air. The number of operational errors increased from approximately 1,200 in 2009 to 1,900 last year. The errors were of varying degrees. I’m sure we’ll get into that in the hearing. On March 2nd, the Committee asked the DOT IG to conduct an assessment of the FAA’s current categorization of operational errors to better understand the impact and actual implications of this.

“And last decade, the IG identified the problems with how most FAA facilities self reported operational errors. And the IG expressed concerns that there was a significant potential for underreporting operational errors. Beginning in 2008, the FAA made a series of changes. It initiated the Air Traffic Safety Action Program, a confidential reporting system to encourage air traffic controllers to come forward with these reported errors. And it began rolling out an automated reporting of operational errors through software called the Traffic Analysis and Review Program. The Committee is trying to understand if the reasons more errors are being reported is because the FAA finally has a more objective and reliable process or whether we are seeing just an increase in errors.

“So I thank all of you for being here today. I’m looking forward to your testimony at the hearing and coming up with answers on how to continue to improve air transportation safety. I’d like to call on the Chairman of the full Committee if he’d like to make an opening statement.”

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