After reading all the commentary which ensued following the news of a controller who took a nap on an overnight shift at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, I’m compelled to throw my hat in the ring.
After failing to get a response from the controller on duty shortly after midnight last Wednesday, American Airlines and United flights landed about fifteen minutes apart without incident at the Reagan airport.
Whether the two aircraft should have landed on their own, or diverted to another airport is the subject of another discussion, but I do not believe that their safety was in jeopardy at any time. After all, when all else fails, pilots still have the general rules of the air to follow to avoid collisions. I am also not au fait with the FAA regulations in these circumstances.
I will focus on the issues surrounding the controller, working at nights, and duty rosters.
I will not downplay the fact that the controller was asleep, as that was a serious infraction. I do sympathize with the controller who, in this situation, was unfortunately just doing what we humans do – sleep at nights. What does this mean? First, it means that controllers often are asked to work schedules that conflict with the circadian rhythms of the human body. Reports revealed that the controller in DC was on his fourth all-night shift – a nightmare scenario.
Regulations, policies and best practices vary from place to place, but most would agree that more than two night shifts in a row are not recommended. Having worked around the clock in towers over the years, I know from experience that no one should be made to work the kind of schedule that the DC controller was working.
Most ANS providers around the world do a pretty good job of to make air traffic services safe, but the unfortunate fact of being human interferes. Controllers need sleep, but the powers that be also need the system whereby sleep-and-wake cycles are taken into consideration. Even in the best of circumstances, it is almost impossible to get a good night’s sleep in the daytime, following a night shift. Once darkness sets in, the lure of drowsiness is irresistible to the best controllers.
Depending of the length of commercial flights, there are two or more pilots on board airliners. Manning an air traffic control tower, especially in the capital of the USA, should be no different to manning a cockpit. I do recognize the need to balance budgets, but safety should never be compromised. No loss of life [in a worst case scenario] is worth saving a few bucks for.
So, now that this DC controller’s story as grabbed so much attention, I can completely relate to his predicament. Back in the days when I worked those graveyard shifts, I myself succumbed to drowsiness and napped on the job. I hasten to add however, there was no traffic during those bouts.
Charles Lindbergh’s 33.5 hours flight across the Atlantic in 1927 was a great feat, but his greatest challenge was staying awake. We are just not designed to stay awake all night, so mechanisms must be put in place to ensure that the service we provide at night is bulletproof. As a start, I suggest no more than two consecutive night shifts, and at least two personnel on duty – be it two controllers, or a controller and an assistant. At least 24 hours should elapse between the last night shift and the start of the next shift. These I believe will reduce the number of holes in the Swiss cheese lineup.
What are your suggestions to enhance ATC service at night?
Source: Wayne Farley'a Aviation Blog