One air traffic controller joked that he “made a lot of money” by coming to work drunk this summer. The other person routinely smoked marijuana during breaks. A third employee threatened violence and “violently shoved” his colleague who was flying the plane.
Although these incidents are extreme examples, they fit a pattern that reveals a clear weakness in one of the most important layers of protection in the nation’s aviation safety system.
Over the past two years, air traffic controllers and others have filed hundreds of complaints to the Federal Aviation Administration’s hotline, citing dangerous staffing shortages, mental health problems, and dilapidated buildings, some with insects and black mold. Some users have reported problems such as:
There were at least seven reports of air traffic controllers falling asleep on duty and five reports of employees working under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The New York Times obtained a summary of the complaints through a public records request.
Air traffic controllers, glued to monitors and scanning the skies for hours a day, are the last line of defense against crashes while the lives of thousands of passengers are at stake. Even under the best of conditions, this job involves high stakes and intense pressure.
However, the situation for many controllers is far from ideal. Years of high employee turnover and tight budgets have created a nationwide shortage of personnel, forcing many air traffic controllers to work 10-hour days, six days a week.
As a result, employees are tired, distracted, demoralized and more likely to make mistakes, according to a Times investigation. The findings are based on interviews with more than 70 current and former air traffic controllers, pilots and federal employees, as well as thousands of pages of federal safety reports and internal FAA records obtained by the Times.
While U.S. airspace is extremely safe, the Times reported in August that potentially dangerous close calls have occurred on average multiple times a week this year. Some air traffic controllers fear a fatal crash is inevitable.
In the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, there were 503 air traffic control errors that the FAA pre-classified as “serious,” an increase of 65% from the previous year, according to an internal agency report reviewed by The Times. Ta. During this period, air traffic increased by approximately 4%.
The database of aviation safety issues is littered with recent mistakes made by weary air traffic controllers. Controllers at an air traffic control center in the Jacksonville, Florida area told one airliner to swerve into the path of another, but later blamed overwork and fatigue. Air traffic controllers at a facility monitoring the skies over Southern California ordered the plane to fly lower, blaming “extreme fatigue” after “continuous” overtime.
“If you can make such a small mistake, you can make even bigger ones,” controllers wrote in a submission included in a database maintained by NASA.
Many air traffic controllers are aviation enthusiasts who are attracted to the job, which offers six-figure salaries. Some people enjoy the opportunity to earn more money by working overtime.
However, the Times noted that the combination of six-day work weeks and 24-hour shifts is causing physical and mental health problems for air traffic controllers. Many people avoid seeking professional help because it could jeopardize the medical clearance they need for their jobs. Some people turn to sleeping pills or alcohol to cope. Some quit or retire.
The FAA estimates that more than 1,400 air traffic controllers (about 10% of the total workforce) will retire this fiscal year.
FAA spokeswoman Jeannie Schiffer said the agency “maintains the safest, most complex, and busiest airspace in the world.” She added: “The country absolutely needs more air traffic controllers, and an increase in the workforce will lead to improved working conditions and greater flexibility.”
The agency has struggled to keep up with a wave of retirements since the Reagan administration replaced thousands of strike supervisors. The problem was made worse by the FAA’s slow training of new air traffic controllers during the coronavirus pandemic.
This fiscal year, the FAA requested $117 million for air traffic controller training and 1,800 new jobs.
But training is difficult. Many aspiring controllers fail. The FAA’s hiring plan shows “little improvement from today’s staffing shortage levels,” with net additions of air traffic controllers expected to be less than 200 by 2032, the FAA-appointed expert group for the National Air Force said. This was stated in a document released by the system safety review team. This is the report for November.
From 2011 to 2022, the number of fully certified controllers decreased by more than 9% despite increased traffic. Based on goals set by the FAA and the unions representing air traffic controllers, 99% of air traffic control sites nationwide are understaffed.
To close the gap, 40% of facility managers worked six days a week at least once a month last year, according to the managers union. Overtime hours measured by air traffic controllers have nearly tripled over the past decade, according to FAA data.
Jacksonville Air Traffic Control Center is one of the busiest air traffic control centers in the country. But there are only 207 air traffic controllers, which is below the goal of 298 set by the FAA and the air traffic controllers union.
The cost to safety has become clear.
There was also a close call in April due to air traffic controller fatigue. And in a confidential safety report last year, a Jacksonville air traffic controller said he hyperventilated and had trouble standing after directing heavy plane traffic for two hours.
“Recently, people have had heart attacks, multiple panic attacks (including mine), lost medical attention due to depression, and others have gotten so bad that they have quit the FAA altogether,” the controller wrote. Ta. “No one knows how many other stress-related physical and mental problems are occurring that we are not yet aware of,” the air traffic controller added. “This place is destroying people. We need help. I say it again, SOS!!”
National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said at a Senate hearing in November that a shortage of air traffic controllers and mandatory overtime pose a threat to aviation safety.
In interviews and complaints filed with the FAA, air traffic officials warned that they and their colleagues were buckling.
- One complaint stated that the controller was “found asleep in its operating position on numerous occasions.” Another said two controllers fell asleep “while providing air traffic services.”
- The employee “physically assaulted one air traffic controller and verbally assaulted another air traffic controller” and began crying before shoving a chair at someone. Other hotline reports also detail physical and verbal attacks.
- Several air traffic controllers reported that their colleagues seemed unstable, with one “exhibiting extreme signs of mental problems.”
- In one location, air traffic controllers were reported to have “used alcohol and illegal drugs while on duty” to direct traffic. Another official said a “strong odor of alcohol” was detected by several air traffic personnel.
- One air traffic controller who worked in Colorado and elsewhere said he drank up to nine glasses of vodka a night to cope with sleep problems and recurring panic attacks, something doctors say was partly due to his job.
Schiffer, the FAA spokesman, said the agency investigates all hotline complaints and acts on credible complaints.
Air traffic controllers said they were reluctant to seek help for physical and mental health problems because of FAA rules requiring medical clearance.
The guidelines aim to ensure air traffic controllers are mentally and physically sound, and prohibit them from taking certain medications that can cause drowsiness or other side effects. The rule also disqualifies air traffic controllers with certain medical conditions from working.
One unintended consequence, many administrators say, is that people avoid taking necessary medications or turn to alcohol or drugs.
Schiffer said authorities take the health of air traffic controllers seriously, including offering free counseling.
Ashley Smith worked as an air traffic controller in the Atlanta area for more than 10 years.
In January 2022, a controller error caused two Delta jetliners to come into a dangerous approach in Atlanta, according to an internal FAA safety report. A cockpit collision warning caused the pilot of one plane to scramble up. The FAA acknowledged in its investigation that fatigue may have been a factor, given that the controller’s schedule included two overtime shifts in each of the previous three weeks.
A few weeks after the close call, Smith sent an email to Tim Arrell, the FAA’s top air traffic official. She detailed how several recent near misses in Atlanta involved air traffic controllers who were working overtime.
Aller responded the next day, acknowledging that the agency was facing staffing issues.
Three months later, Mr. Smith resigned, convinced that nothing would improve.
“They’re kicking it down the road,” she said.