Spotlight on Inexperienced Controllers as Near-Collisions at Nation's Airports Rise

Even though the number of major airline crashes over the past decade has fallen dramatically, the number of near in-air collisions across the country has not.

Just a few weeks ago a 120-seat United Airlines commercial airliner narrowly missed colliding with a 22-passenger Gulf Stream jet in the skies above Washington, D.C. The UA plane was headed to Reagan National Airport while the Gulf Stream was departing from Washington Dulles International Airport. With 15 seconds remaining before the two planes would collide, the UA plane's on-board collision warning system went off, prompting the pilots into action to avoid the crash.

This is just one example of many of the close calls that have happened in recent months in the Washington area. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the 22 near-fatal mistakes in the Potomac airspace in the last six months already exceeds the total number reported for 2009.

Other examples of catastrophes that were barely avoided include a Continental 737 that came within 3900 feet of hitting a military plane that took off from Andrews Air Force Base and an 80-passenger shuttle jet that was directed into the path of a commuter jet. Just as with the UA flight, the shuttle jet's on-board collision warning system prevented a crash by alerting the pilots to the impending collision.

Washington D.C. is not the only area seeing a rise in the number of near-misses. The same types of near catastrophes are happening at airports all across the country as older, more experienced air traffic controllers are retiring and being replaced by new, inexperienced controllers.

Under federal law, air traffic controllers are required to retire at age 56 or after 25 years of service, whichever occurs first. This policy has created waves of retirement that leave the nation's airports struggling to fill the gaps with new controllers.

It is estimated that one out of every four air traffic controllers is a novice. At the four airports in the Washington, D.C. area, 49 out of 177 controllers have not received full certification for all of the sectors and duties of their jobs.

The FAA, however, insists that new air traffic controllers are not to blame for the rise in near-collisions. In trying to improve safety and discover the cause of the increase in the number of near-misses, the FAA has begun several new programs. Among these is a program that encourages controllers to voluntarily report their errors to the FAA. In exchange, the FAA has promised not to use the information to discipline the controllers. As a result of the program, the FAA receives between 200 and 300 error reports each week.