WASHINGTON — Aircraft carrying the first lady or vice president will receive a higher level of scrutiny from air-traffic controllers following the aborted landing of a plane carrying Michelle Obama on Monday, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
From now on, planes carrying Michelle Obama or Vice President Joe Biden will be handled by an air- traffic supervisor rather than a controller, the agency said Wednesday.
Flights carrying the president already are required to be handled by a supervisor.
Also Wednesday, the National Transportation Safety Board said it has opened an investigation into the aborted landing. While they are not unusual, the episode has become another embarrassment for the FAA and follows the suspensions of air-traffic controllers and supervisors around the country in recent weeks, including five for sleeping on the job.
Late Wednesday, the FAA said it had fired two air-traffic controllers, in Miami and Knoxville, Tenn., for dozing at work. FAA
