What’s, where’s, is there a problem with FAA ATC ?
The FAA, per multiple reports, has an Air Traffic problem or is it PROBLEMS (near midair misses, drug use, stress, drug use, not using “prohibited” medicines, fatigue, on-the-job alcohol use…) [see the InsiderToday article which repeats the revelations made by the New York Times]. Amid these disturbing disclosures, the new FAA Administrator makes an announcement—the Aviation Safety office responsible for assuring that air traffic is properly using the global safety mechanism (SMS- below box is more specific) will now have dual reports (see chart in the next article).
The Administrator explains the WHY for this change: it creates “a direct line from the person who independently assesses the safety of air navigation to me.” As explained in the above box, that office receives reports from ATO, primarily information voluntarily submitted by air traffic controllers. AOV analyzes data (events that do not identify the individual and the program is based on immunity), makes risk analyses, and delivers its preventative safety recommendations to its old direct report. That position, the head of Aviation Safety, if the system works well, should convey any significant risks to the head of ATO and the Administrator.
With that limited disclosure, hypotheses needed to be reviewed:
- AOS is getting the numbers and determining that the risk is insufficient.
- AOS’ review concludes that there is a negative trend, makes a recommendation, delivers its analysis to AVS and it stops there; because:
- AVS disagreed with the statistic and/or the remedy;
- AVS agreed with the AOS report, shared it with ATO and the operational organization ignored or poorly implemented the proposed solution;
–> in a. or b. AOA-1 was not made aware of the AOS concern
- 5.The AOS SMS decision was conveyed by AVS [ATO?] to the Administrator, concurred but the proposed action failed:
- a. Due to poor design of remediation
- b. Poor implementation at Headquarters and/or the field.
- 6. The SMS program is not working because the working controllers do not trust that their complaints would not lead to “punishment” for their mistake (operational, drug, sleep, alcohol?)
- 7. The front-line workers are submitting reports, but the supervisors are not responding or recording them;
- 8. The information bogs down somewhere within the ARTCC, ATCT or TRACON, regional management hierarchy.
CHANGING THE AOA-1—>AVS-1—>AOS-1 REPORTING LINE DOES NOT ADDRESS ANY OF THESE HYPOTHESES. In any scenario in which a serious ATO safety risk (drugs, alcohol, ???) was flagged, one would expect that any FAA person would go directly, immediately to the Administrator, risk some violation of the reporting scheme, and urge that action be mandated.
SMS is a methodology that has enhanced safety in airlines, airports, manufacturers, repair stations and even general aviation. Successful systems have shown that they DEPEND ON THE TOP-TO-BOTTOM COMMITMENT OF EVERYONE INVOLVED. A FAIR QUESTION to ask whether the failure for the significant safety risks, per New York Times], to reach the FAA executives suggests that safety culture is flawed in this segment of the FAA. If this suspicion (it is only that; a possible interpretation of the situation; no evidence) is valid, then ADMINISTRATOR WHITAKER WOULD BE WELL ADVISED TO IDENTIFY OUTSIDE ATC EXPERTS TO AUDIT THE ATO SMS PROCESS AND PERFORMANCE.
PS—the last article reports that 140 members of Congress have stated that the FAA must hire more controllers. Great idea, but the omniscient legislative has gone 3 months on a Continuing Resolution, and it appears that the Reauthorization, a statutory predicate to hiring, is likely delayed further!!!
FAA Administrator Strengthens Safety Oversight Authority
Wednesday, December 13, 2023
WASHINGTON — Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator MIKE WHITAKER has directed the executive director of Air Traffic Safety Oversight (AOV)i to directly report both to him, as well as to the Associate Administrator of Aviation Safety (AVS).
red lines = OLD;
gold lines = NEW
The move was recommended by the independent Safety Review Team to strengthen the connection between the Air Traffic Organization (ATO) and AVS to address aviation safety risks.
“Direct, candid feedback is crucial to constant improvement in aviation safety,” said FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker. “And that is why I have provided a direct line from the person who independently assesses the safety of air navigation to me, the head of the agency.”
Nick Fuller is the new AOV executive director. He is responsible for directing THE INDEPENDENT, RISK-BASED, DATA-DRIVEN SAFETY OVERSIGHT OF AIR NAVIGATION SERVICES. Fuller is the former deputy vice president of ATO Safety and Technical Training and has managed air traffic operations at multiple levels. He began his career as an air traffic control specialist for the United States Navy.
The FAA commissioned the Safety Review Team following the agency’s Safety Summit in March. In addition to providing a direct line from the AOV executive director to Administrator Whitaker, the agency has also taken several actions to increase its air traffic controller workforce.
Dec 2, 2023, 5:33 PM EST
Rafael Cordero/Getty
- Air traffic controllers, who have long endured staffing shortages, are facing increasingly strenuous schedules.
- The workloads have led SOME CONTROLLERS TO USE ALCOHOL, SLEEPING PILLS, AND DRUGS TO COPE, per a Times report.
- Complaints to the FAA revealed problems among the workforce that could jeopardize air safety.
NEW LOOK
There’s a growing problem that’s threatening the ability of air traffic controllers to effectively perform their jobs, which over time could weaken the safety of passengers in the skies: their strained workloads.
The air traffic controller workforce in recent years has been stretched to the brink, with staffing shortages necessitating six-day workweeks and 10-hour workdays for many controllers, conditions which have exacerbated exhaustion and in some cases led to depression, ACCORDING TO THE NEW YORK TIMES.
In interviews and complaints sent to the Federal Aviation Administration, several controllers said they had not sought personal help to deal with physical and psychological issues because they were fearful of the FAA’s rules governing medical clearances, per The Times.
The rules regulating the clearances prohibit particular medications from being used by air traffic controllers — as they could cause drowsiness on the job — so some controllers have turned to alcohol and sleeping pills instead, per the report. Some controllers have forgone medications that they needed in order to comply with the clearances. And a few controllers have even turned to drugs, based on a Times review of complaints that were submitted to the FAA.
The lengths that some air traffic controllers have gone through to maintain their jobs reflects the tediousness that the role demands, as they are the safeguards for the lives of millions upon millions of travelers. It is because of their work that passenger air travel in the US remains incredibly safe, a marvel of modern transportation.
But a Times report from September revealed that close calls at US airports have occurred at a greater rate than previously known. An examination of internal FAA records by the newspaper revealed that in 2023 such incidents took place multiple times a week. And the Times report also noted that in May, 310 of the 313 air traffic control facilities in the country had fewer than the recommended number of certified controllers.
The growing safety issues don’t just extend to the well-being of controllers. The Washington Post in August reported that federal authorities have been investigating roughly 5,000 pilots who may have altered their medical records to withhold health issues that could jeopardize their ability to fly airplanes safely.
When it comes to air traffic controllers, the coping mechanisms that some of them have sought to employ were further detailed in complaints to the FAA.
Air controllers in one air traffic facility were reported for “USING ALCOHOL AND ILLEGAL DRUGS WHILE ON POSITION” as they were directing plane traffic, per a complaint examined by The Times. Another complaint listed the “strong odor of alcohol” that came from some controllers. Several controllers said that they witnessed some colleagues “showing extreme signs of mental problems.”
And according to one FAA complaint reviewed by The Times, a controller said that she ingested up to nine vodka drinks per night to combat sleeping issues and panic attacks that a physician indicated was partly brought on by the stress of her job.
FAA spokeswoman Jeannie Shiffer in a statement to The Times said that the agency “maintains the safest, most complex and busiest airspace in the world. “The nation absolutely needs more air traffic controllers, and growing the work force will result in better working conditions and more flexibility,” she added. Shiffer also said that the agency prioritized the health of its air traffic controllers, noting that it provided free counseling. “When they have issues, we work with them to resolve it, {stet}” she said in a statement.
N.B. Congress has failed to pass the FAA Reauthorization Act; so, efforts to hire must await enactment of this overdue legislation that is predicate to all of the FAA functions!!!
