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FAA investigating near collision of two jets at Reagan National Airport
Two passenger jets came within 400 feet of each other before controllers took last-minute evasive action and immediately stopped the two planes. It’s not clear why the jets were authorized to be on the same runway at the same time. (wtop.com) Más...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
I've been hearing about these runway incursion incidents much more in the last few years but I've no idea if they're really becoming more frequent or just being reported more frequently. It seems like much care in flight protocols and technology (TCAS) has been expended to prevent midair collisions, but by comparison ground operations are the wild, wild west.
Even superior technology cannot prevent incompetent, unqualified people from creating more problems that their salary dictates! At near $50 a hour using near fool-proof technology, you'd think a person could separate planes on a tarmac or prevent midair near-misses and collisions, after all that's what they're paid to do! Simply prioritizing automated technology seems too difficult for many ATC personnel? In this case the ATC audio says it all, despite the gibberish seen in quite a few posts here.
Part of the problem is controllers who don't understand the impact they can have on aviation safety. My son is a controller at one the the country's large airports with about 15 years of experience. As one of the more senior controllers, he is tasked with helping with the training of new controllers. He was recently training a new controller that had a terrible attitude and did not have the proper mindset to be a safe controller. He once stated that it didn't matter if he made a mistake since his coworkers or the equipment would catch it. Fortunately, he failed to qualify at that airport. Unfortunately, he was sent to another airport to try and qualify. I have heard that he has not gotten off to a good start at the new airport.
The dangerous part is that due to DEI he WILL qualify somewhere.
You nailed it!
I just read through the comments below and have a thought to offer. Could the problems today be caused by the bickering evidenced below? Wait for the investigation and then form your opinions