FAA Investigates Child Air Traffic Controller
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is now investigating two incidents where air traffic controllers at JFK Airport allowed children to give clearance for a number of flights. The two controllers involved have been suspended on administrative leave for the duration of the investigation.
The investigation began after tapes of one of the child’s conversations were posted online. This particular incident occurred on February 17, and the tapes reveal the child giving clearance for JetBlue 171 to takeoff - other clearances followed. It’s been reported that the other child was giving clearances to pilots the day before. Both cases happened while many schools were out for winter break.
The FAA has suspended all unofficial visits to air traffic facilities during a review of policies, while they have also suspended the controllers pending the investigation’s outcome, according to FAA administrator Randy Babbitt. He said that the lapse in judgment from the controllers is a violation of their policies and the standards of common sense for the conduct of professionals. The FAA has an incredible team of professionals that control the nation’s skies safely every day, he continued, but this kind of behavior isn’t reflective of their workforce’s true caliber.
The JFK Airport isn’t just one of the busiest airports in the world, as it is also the busiest US airport for international passengers and for freight flights by shipment value. It may not seem like that big of a deal to some people that the children were only repeating what their parents told them to say, but due to the nature of the job, lives are in their hands, making their actions unacceptable.