Page 21 - Control Towers News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Traffic, the number of planes that are in the air at any given moment. what's fascinating is to think that there hasn't been some sort of real -- or scheduling that takes all this into consideration, seems like perhaps we're just finding out something that's been a long time coming, really. >> deb, according to the faa, they staff those control towers based on volume. air traffic volume. that's why you heard of these midnight shifts being very poorly manned. in some cases one air traffic controller in those towers. of course, when we heard about the incident at reagan national airport about th...

Seattle, no,ville and washington, d.c. early wednesday morning, medical transport plane was trying to land at 2:00 a.m. in reno but the sole air traffic controller was asleep. the pilot contacted a northern california tower. >> yeah, we're going to need to land. >> landing at your own risk. last reported wind was calm. >> reporter: the pilot landed safely. today, hank who led the air traffic control system for the f.a.a. abruptly resigned. an industry analyst suggested it wasn't voluntary and more should follow. >> we're moving in the right direction. it just hope this is the first of the peop...

The controller slept. on thursday, the man who ran the faa's air traffic control operations, hank krakowski, lost his job. >> what happened in these control towers with controllers sleeping is outrageous, it he's the kind of behavior that we will not tolerate. >> reporter: the faa has since ordered at least two controllers in every tower that's open for business overnight. but for the flying public it's been three weeks of unsettling news about aviation safety. from the sleeping controllers to the 737 that landed with the hole in its roof, to the airbus a-380 that clipped and tossed aside a re...

Whatever reason took the second person out and then the next day, the person left behind falls asleep. so now the guy who runs that particular division at the f.a.a. resigned. here's transportation secretary ray lahood. >> what happened in these control towers with controllers sleeping is outrageous. it's the kind of behavior that we will not tolerate. we're doing a top to bottom review and we will not rest until these control towers are as safe as they possibly can be. >> have to say the word rest? >> no, earlier he said we will not sleep, we will not sleep until this is solved. good! glad yo...

Controllers were caught sleeping on the job. the top official has now lost his job and the government is launching a top to bottom review. >> what happened in these control towers with controllers sleeping is outrageous, the kind of behavior we will not tolerate at the faa, we will not tolerate in control towers, safety is always our number one priority. >> air traffic controllers tell the associated press it is not uncommon for overnight workers to nap on the job and one whistle-blower says there's a cot in the radar tower. >> that esnot good. could we get a cot out here? we get here awfully ...