FAA Says Air Traffic Controllers Can Use Books, Radio to Reduce Fatigue

The Federal Aviation Administration has stopped short of overhauling current air traffic controller work schedules as California plane crash lawyers might have liked.  Instead, the Federal Aviation Administration is recommending that air traffic controllers use other methods, like reading books and listening to the radio to stay alert while on duty.

Air traffic controller fatigue has become a hot button plane safety issue after a string of incidents recently involving controllers who fell asleep on the job.  None of these incidents in which air traffic controllers dozed off resulted in any adverse incidents or crashes.  However, in some of these incidents, incoming planes were left to their own devices to land the plane without air traffic controller attention.

The National Transportation Safety Board has recommended that the Federal Aviation Administration work together with air traffic controllers to revise current work schedules.  According to National Transportation Safety Board investigations, at least 51% of air traffic controllers report for duty on work schedules that conflict with their sleep-wake patterns.

As of now, the Federal Aviation Administration is sticking with the 2-2-1 work schedule for air traffic controllers against the National Transportation Safety Board recommendations.  This means that air traffic controllers can continue to work for two evening shifts, followed by two day shifts and one overnight shift.  The National Air Traffic Controllers Association has welcomed the Federal Aviation Administration proposals for combating fatigue.

Reading books and listening to the radio may not be the kind of cutting-edge solutions to air traffic controller fatigue problems that California plane crash lawyers had been hoping for, but it seems like these measures will have to do for now.  However, the Federal Aviation Administration must realize that these are simply stopgap solutions, and that issues of air traffic controller fatigue are simply too complex to be solved through short term measures.