Dallas-Fort Worth Terminal Radar Approach Control (Tracon) management investigated errors and pilot deviations, but misclassified them as pilot errors or non-events, according the the FAA. That conclusion was reached after an investigation by the Department of Transportation's Office of Inspector General (OIG).
The OIG report, prompted by some beloved whistleblowers' allegations, determined that between November 2005 and July 2007, Tracon managers misclassified 62 air traffic events as pilot deviations or non-events when, in reality, there were 52 operational errors and 10 operational deviations.
The FAA has since "removed" both the facility manager and assistant manager at the DFW Tracon. Some other DFW controllers may also be without a job soon. The OIG report will be investigated further by the U.S. Office of Special Counsel. The FAA's already in progress Traffic Analysis Review Program will be implemented ahead of schedule -- at DFW Tracon by then end of 2008 and nationwide by 2009.
Don't you feel safe knowing pilots are being blamed for air traffic controllers' screw ups? Wonder what other Tracons have been up to.
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2 comments:
Your headline is factually incorrect on two counts: First, the air traffic controllers at this facility did NOTHING wrong. It was their bosses, the FAA managers, that engineered the cover-up, as reported by the Dept. of Transportation IG. Second, nobody got canned, unfortunately. The two managers who got busted in the cover-up were reassigned, not fired.
I have to disagree with all due respect. The controller that caused the operational errors may not have lied, however, their managers did and their managers are more than likely air traffic controllers. Second, there is no difference in my book between being fired and being asked to resign. No one voluntarily resigns from their livelihood -- despite the appearance to the contrary.
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