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Federal authorities and airports announced Friday that they were investigating the reasons why an air traffic controller became incapacitated and was silent while working alone at night in the McCarran International Airport Tower. animated, in Las Vegas. (Jeff Scheid / Las Vegas Review via AP, File)
An investigation was opened Friday on the circumstances in which an air traffic controller became unable to function while he was working alone in the tower of a Las Vegas airport during a quarter of a century. night busy doing night work, announced Friday.
For about 40 minutes, a female controller misinterpreted her words while communicating with 29 pilots in the air and on the runways of McCarran International Airport, before apparently losing consciousness.
"An air traffic controller at the Las Vegas tower has become unfit for work," said the Federal Aviation Administration in a statement. "No security event occurred during this incident."
She did not identify the controller or if she had experienced a medical emergency.
The woman started her shift at 22 hours. Wednesday, reported the Las Vegas Review-Journal. She worked for a little over an hour before the trouble started.
The air traffic records available on the Internet show that airline pilots have difficulty understanding the controller during radio communications on landing approaches, takeoff clearances and taxi directions. Some begin to talk to each other about something that is wrong.
At one point, the controller seems sleepy and apologizes on the radio saying that she "chokes a little bit". A few minutes later, she gives erroneous information about the numbers of a plane call. Finally, his microphone opens to the sound of coughing and growling.
She does not respond to the pilot's request before the sound of a male voice sounds in the room and asks if the woman is fine.
A second controller was on duty at the time, but was gone for a break, which the FAA allows, the Review-Journal reported. He was called back to the tower after the beginning of the incident.
The FAA stated that the woman had been placed on administrative leave and that she had ordered two controllers to be in the tower during rush hours.
"The FAA is deeply concerned with the incident, is conducting a thorough investigation into what has happened and is taking immediate steps to change its staffing policies at night," the statement said. ;agency.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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