U.S. House lawmakers questioned whether aviation-safety regulators were adequately staffing air-traffic control centers after the crash of a Comair jet last month.
The Federal Aviation Administration acknowledged violating its own policy by having one controller instead of two working at the Lexington, Ky., control tower when the plane crashed on takeoff, killing 49 people, Rep. Ben Chandler said Wednesday at a hearing in Washington.
“We must make a better effort to address these staffing shortfalls,” said Chandler, a Democrat who represents the Kentucky district where the regional jet went down on Aug. 27.
Some lawmakers are pressuring the FAA to increase staffing levels after the Comair crash, which reignited concern that the agency has too few controllers. Wednesday’s hearing of the House Aviation Subcommittee was billed as an oversight session on FAA safety programs.
George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston has only 29 controllers, one more than the 28 needed for full daily staffing, said Rep. Ted Poe, a Texas Republican. The airport is authorized to have 42 controllers, he said.
The lone controller on duty at Lexington’s Blue Grass Airport turned his back after clearing Com air Flight 5191 for departure to Atlanta and didn’t see it use a runway too short for a safe takeoff. The 15,000-member National Air Traffic Controllers Association has complained of what it says was understaffing throughout the U.S. before the crash.
The National Transportation Safety Board is examining the FAA’s role at the time of the pre-dawn crash, along with the pilots’ actions and possible confusion about runway lights and recent taxiway changes at the Lexington airport. The board has made no conclusions and hasn’t said controller staffing played a role in causing the accident.
