Just before the government shutdown this week, the National Transportation Safety Board shared a report that highlighted the importance of properly trained air traffic controllers.
According to the report issued this Monday, a near crash of two planes in-flight that occurred in August 2023 at San Diego International Airport was caused by “the local control controller’s poor judgment in duty prioritization.” This poor judgment “distracted them from monitoring arriving and departing traffic and resulted in a runway incursion and loss of same runway separation,” the NTSB added.
As Southwest Airlines flight 2493 and Textron Aviation, Inc. 560XL nearly collided above the San Diego airport, the primary strip printer at the Airport Traffic Control Tower jammed. Although there was a backup printer, the staff chose to troubleshoot the main printer. They stated that they had no training on the use or troubleshooting of the printers.
Troubleshooting the printer took air traffic control attention away from the potential collision, personnel said. Per the NTSB, one staffer “stated that they had used poor judgment in prioritizing their duties.”
With the government shutdown that began Tuesday, the NTSB is expected to furlough about 25% of its 400 employees, according to Reuters. However, the outlet said it will still be able to launch new investigations and continue its probe into the Jan. 29 mid-air collision between an American Airlines regional jet and Army helicopter that killed 67 people. That flight put increased attention on air safety in the U.S., along with other deadly air crashes earlier this year.
“The NTSB is investigating the collision Wednesday of two Amazon Prime Air delivery UAS (drones) into a crane in Tolleson, Arizona,” said the board in a Thursday X post. It also published a contingency plan for a lapse in operations this week.
Reuters also reported that more than 13,000 current air traffic controllers would be required to continue working but will not be paid until the shutdown is over, citing the Federal Aviation Administration.
“The FAA is about 3,800 controllers short of targeted staffing levels, but even if government funding is halted, the FAA would continue hiring and training air traffic controllers,” Reuters said. “During prior government shutdowns, the FAA suspended hiring and most training of air traffic controllers.”