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Southwest Flight 1045 into MDW diverts due to radio silence at control tower
Just after midnight on June 4, 2016, the pilot for Southwest Airlines flight 1045 was unable to get anyone from the airport tower to respond. So a controller from the Federal Aviation Administration's regional center in Elgin stepped in. The airliner and other flights were put in a holding pattern as more attempts were made to reach the tower. Regional controller: Southwest 1045 did you try them on guard at all? Pilot: We tried them on guard, we got dispatch and company all trying to call… (abc7chicago.com) Más...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
Seems rational that, if this was a technical glitch, FAA would have said say very early on. That said, I do not believe it is a union action, either (and I paid dues to that union for years, BTW). If it had been a union action, the pattern would have likely been repeated at other airports. In recent months, both FAA and NATCA have been very cordial, working together trying to get the ATC privatization scam pushed through, as both controllers and FAA managers would then be able to exceed pay limits of around $180K/year (the level paid to elected congressional reps).
No way would I go ahead and land a commercial aircraft in that situation. Too big of a risk. Hell, it's Chicago. The tower could've been under fire.
I'm not a pilot, but curious if there's been any mention or response from the City or local police that were supposedly summoned to investigate the non-responsive tower, based on the audio comments from the Elgin FAA Regional Center.
Solid investigative journalists would easily obtain the callout transcript and reports filed by local police and the airport authority. But, the real meaty information is controlled by FAA and NATCA; they know exactly what transpired, but have chosen to hide it from the Public.
Interestingly, a few years ago, when a controller at Knoxville made a bed and napped a couple hours, it created a media storm. Likewise, when a supervisor dozed off at Reagan National around midnight causing two late airline arrivals to delay landings, that too created a media storm. But, in 2016, it is as if FAA, NATCA and the mainstream media are colluding to keep us all ignorant.
Interestingly, a few years ago, when a controller at Knoxville made a bed and napped a couple hours, it created a media storm. Likewise, when a supervisor dozed off at Reagan National around midnight causing two late airline arrivals to delay landings, that too created a media storm. But, in 2016, it is as if FAA, NATCA and the mainstream media are colluding to keep us all ignorant.
Class D towered airports revert to class E when the tower in inoperative. Follow communication procedures for an untowered airport and land? Scheduled carriers may require an operating control tower though.
TCL has football charters land late @ night/early morning after the tower personnel have gone home. They are controlled by BHM 50-60 miles up the road. For big football Saturday's, the city pays the overtime & a secondary runway is closed & used for overflow parking.
Therefore the only conclusion I can produce is a technical malfunction.
Over the last couple of decades, Unions have fallen out of favor with the public. If and that is a big IF, this was some kind of slowdown or protest perpetuated by the union that represents the Controllers, I believe there should be a reevaluation of the system