Control-Tower Supervision
Air traffic controllers should not be permitted to work as supervisors at the same time they are performing operational air traffic control duties, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) says.
In its recommendation to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the NTSB cited several accidents and incidents that occurred while the supervisory controller was also performing air traffic control (ATC) operational duties.
“In many instances, a sufficient number of personnel were on duty at the time of the events such that another qualified controller could have been designated to supervise,” the NTSB said. “However, ATC management’s decisions concerning staffing utilization resulted in a lack of distinct supervisory oversight, thus diminishing or eliminating the effectiveness of the supervisory role.”
In one of the events cited, a Eurocopter AS 350BA and a Piper PA-32R-300 collided over the Hudson River near Hoboken, New Jer…
