Harsh Air Traffic Controller Conditions Endanger Passengers

A study conducted by the FAA in 2012 was only recently released to the public, causing airline passengers in Salt Lake City and elsewhere to worry for their safety. The study analyzed work schedules of air traffic controllers along with correlated errors, finding that many were overly fatigued on the job. 

Any lawyer would agree that controller drowsiness puts the safety of passengers at risk. When controllers at the Salt Lake City airport or anywhere else experience chronic fatigue, it often leads to less awareness and even falling asleep on the job. Without a controller to direct planes, crashes could occur, resulting in tragedy and wrongful death cases. 

The NTSB prompted the FAA to conduct this study in order to reevaluate controller schedules to ensure they get "sufficient restorative sleep" and avoid the need for a lawyer. Although the FAA did not intend for the study to leak to the public, the information was revealed following requests from the press claiming rights to the Freedom of Information Act. 

The study analyzed 3,268 air traffic controllers and discovered that 20 percent of them made critical errors in the last year, all claiming fatigue as the cause. More than 60 percent of those in the study even admitted to falling asleep or having a lapse of attention while driving to or from a midnight shift. 

These controllers only got an average of 5.8 hours of sleep each night. Nightshift controllers averaged 3.1 hours. The effects from this kind of lifestyle can be dangerous not only to the controllers, but to the airline passengers with the possibility for wrongful death. 

At one point, two aircraft at the Washington Reagan National Airport were forced to land without any air traffic assistance when the only controller on duty was asleep. Any lawyer would see serious legal issues with this sort of operation. Major lawsuits usually follow a wrongful death circumstance that could have arisen in this instance. 

Although the risks are high with the six day work schedules required for controllers, this work environment is still common at airports in Salt Lake City and across America. Especially for those who work night shifts, this lifestyle quickly wears down the body. Sleep experts say that sleeping during the day doesn't solve the problem due to the fact that the body's circadian rhythms make it hard to sleep at that time. 

These conditions pervade the minds of passengers and give them great cause to worry. Should wrongful death at the hand of a drowsy air craft controller affect your family, contact a lawyer in Salt Lake City or a location near you. 

Shauna Holdaway is a legal writer reporter for Fusion 360, an SEO and content marketing agency. Information provided by Robert J Debry.