First lady's plane aborts landing
Source: Agencies |
April 21, 2011, Thursday
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Print Edition
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AIR traffic controllers directed a plane carrying US first lady Michelle Obama to abort a landing at Andrews Air Force Base because it was too close to a military cargo jet, officials said on Tuesday, in yet another embarrassment for the Federal Aviation Administration.
While there apparently was little risk to Mrs Obama, the episode puts the FAA back into the spotlight as officials struggle to calm public jitters about flying that have been raised by nine suspensions of ATCs and supervisors around the United States in recent weeks, including five for sleeping on the job.
The first disclosed case of a controller falling asleep on duty occurred on March 23 at Washington's Reagan National airport, not far from Andrews. The most recent was this week when a controller at a regional radar facility near Cleveland was suspended for watching a movie on a DVD player when he was supposed to be monitoring air traffic. The head of the US air traffic system resigned last week.
This latest incident occurred at about 5pm on Monday when a Boeing 737 belonging to the Air National Guard, one of several guard planes used by the White House, came within about 5 kilometers of a massive C-17 as the planes were approaching Andrews to land, according to the FAA and Major Michelle Lai, a spokeswoman for Andrews.
The FAA requires a minimum separation of 8 kilometers between two planes when the plane in the lead is as large as the 200-ton cargo jet, in order to avoid dangerous wake turbulence that can severely affect the trailing aircraft.
The FAA is investigating the incident as a possible error by ATCs at a regional radar facility in Warrenton, Virginia, that handles approaches and departures for several airports, including Andrews, where the president's aircraft, Air Force One, is maintained.
The C-17 and Mrs Obama's plane didn't have the proper separation when controllers in Warrenton handed them off to the Andrews controllers, a source familiar with the incident said.
While there apparently was little risk to Mrs Obama, the episode puts the FAA back into the spotlight as officials struggle to calm public jitters about flying that have been raised by nine suspensions of ATCs and supervisors around the United States in recent weeks, including five for sleeping on the job.
The first disclosed case of a controller falling asleep on duty occurred on March 23 at Washington's Reagan National airport, not far from Andrews. The most recent was this week when a controller at a regional radar facility near Cleveland was suspended for watching a movie on a DVD player when he was supposed to be monitoring air traffic. The head of the US air traffic system resigned last week.
This latest incident occurred at about 5pm on Monday when a Boeing 737 belonging to the Air National Guard, one of several guard planes used by the White House, came within about 5 kilometers of a massive C-17 as the planes were approaching Andrews to land, according to the FAA and Major Michelle Lai, a spokeswoman for Andrews.
The FAA requires a minimum separation of 8 kilometers between two planes when the plane in the lead is as large as the 200-ton cargo jet, in order to avoid dangerous wake turbulence that can severely affect the trailing aircraft.
The FAA is investigating the incident as a possible error by ATCs at a regional radar facility in Warrenton, Virginia, that handles approaches and departures for several airports, including Andrews, where the president's aircraft, Air Force One, is maintained.
The C-17 and Mrs Obama's plane didn't have the proper separation when controllers in Warrenton handed them off to the Andrews controllers, a source familiar with the incident said.
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