(FAA) Agency: Air traffic errors covered up (DFW airport)

[rainbow4321]

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/062405dnbus1Adfw.3beb424a.html


Federal investigators said Thursday that Dallas-Fort Worth air traffic controllers and managers "routinely covered up serious operational errors and deviations involving aircraft" for the last seven years.

The U.S. Office of Special Counsel said the controllers had allowed airplanes to fly too close to each other near Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and that supervisors either failed to investigate or didn't report the incidents to Federal Aviation Administration headquarters as required.

The independent federal agency said the cover-up of controller mistakes had been "jeopardizing air traffic safety. This was a substantial and specific danger to public safety," it said.

Specifically, the D/FW Terminal Radar Approach Control, or TRACON, was placed on probation for two years, the center's quality assurance manager was reassigned, and one air traffic controller was decertified.



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http://www.mysanantonio.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D8ATQ7900.html

(same article info but shorter...no registration needed)

[doodadem]

1. Oh, great.........

I always fly thru DFW to go back and visit my parents. It's the easiest and most direct from Calif. to Louisville. Always good to find out after the fact, that your life is in danger!

[rainbow4321]

3. It's the 6th busiest in the world, 2nd largest in the US

..and is one of only 2 US airports to which overseas troops fly directly back into the country (other being Atlanta, I believe.)
The local media is always showing the welcome back parties that volunteers have at the airports for just-returned troops. Looking at the below stats, how scary is it to know how many people
have been put in potentially dangerous, UNreported situations?
Unreported = no measures taken to correct the problems.


http://www.answers.com/topic/dallas-fort-worth-international-airport


DFW: located between the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth, is the busiest airport in Texas and third busiest airport in the world in terms of operations. In terms of passenger traffic, it is the sixth busiest airport in world. In terms of land area, it is the largest airport in Texas, the second largest in the United States, and third largest in the world, with a larger ground area than the island of Manhattan. The airport is the main hub for American Airlines, the world's largest airline.

[DeepModem Mom]

2. Wonder how many other airports are operating this way? nt

[booksenkatz]

4. Just flew out of DFW yesterday afternoon

and my right hand is still in the shape of the armrest from the white-knuckled gripping of it. What an ascent! I've noticed that whenever I fly out of DFW, the ascent scares the shit out of me -- we climb in crazy loops, extremely quickly. I think there are noise ordinances around the area. At any rate, it always feels like we're ducking, dodging and weaving to get the fark outta there ASAP. I absolutely cannot abide it. I never have felt that way flying out of any other airport, so I'm hesitant to say it's just my imagination. I shouldn't read articles like this, it just confirms what was going on in my mind yesterday as we climbed outta that hellhole! LOL

/hard to type with right hand in this funny shape