Hae-Yu
08-31-2006, 07:19 PM
All day I've been reading news stories about "tired air traffic controllers" "controller was alone on duty and FAA rules require 2" and all this other garbage about the control side of the Comair accident.
http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_1991081,00.html
Controller 'had 2 hours of sleep'
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ny-uscras314871750aug31,1,1098144.story?coll=chi-news-hed
Spotlight on lack of staffing
And tons of others.
Point blank: as long as the runways are clearly marked and the controller verified that runway was clear, and cleared him for the correct runway, it's all on the pilot. The controller can go back to playing Nintendo, watching TV, paperwork, surfing the 'net or whatever.
ATCers don't watch the runway and the planes every second. You can't possibly do it. Controllers expect the glorfied bus drivers to know their job.
As long as that controller did his job, which the voice recorder and other reports indicate affirmative, the pilot fucked up and picked the wrong runway. Runways on all civil airports are marked with exactly the same red signs and the NTSB said the signs were in order. This pilot & copilot were experienced, so I'd guess drugs, booze, sleepiness or carelessness on their part were to blame.
Additionally, every commercial pilot has a reference map of every US airfield with distances clearly marked for each runway and nearby obstructions (water towers, high rises, tv towers, etc) also clearly marked. Just by the airport's configuration, it's obvious the pilot/ copilot hadn't consulted their map or their compass. 2 straightlines and a diagonal. As they were taxiing, they should have noticed something.
The only thing I can guess is that taxiway repaving project the previous week may have left bad marks on the runway.
Stupid journalists harp on anything that sounds "wrong" when they don't understand the job, work environment, or anything else. The "fourth estate" needs some trimming back.
http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_1991081,00.html
Controller 'had 2 hours of sleep'
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ny-uscras314871750aug31,1,1098144.story?coll=chi-news-hed
Spotlight on lack of staffing
And tons of others.
Point blank: as long as the runways are clearly marked and the controller verified that runway was clear, and cleared him for the correct runway, it's all on the pilot. The controller can go back to playing Nintendo, watching TV, paperwork, surfing the 'net or whatever.
ATCers don't watch the runway and the planes every second. You can't possibly do it. Controllers expect the glorfied bus drivers to know their job.
As long as that controller did his job, which the voice recorder and other reports indicate affirmative, the pilot fucked up and picked the wrong runway. Runways on all civil airports are marked with exactly the same red signs and the NTSB said the signs were in order. This pilot & copilot were experienced, so I'd guess drugs, booze, sleepiness or carelessness on their part were to blame.
Additionally, every commercial pilot has a reference map of every US airfield with distances clearly marked for each runway and nearby obstructions (water towers, high rises, tv towers, etc) also clearly marked. Just by the airport's configuration, it's obvious the pilot/ copilot hadn't consulted their map or their compass. 2 straightlines and a diagonal. As they were taxiing, they should have noticed something.
The only thing I can guess is that taxiway repaving project the previous week may have left bad marks on the runway.
Stupid journalists harp on anything that sounds "wrong" when they don't understand the job, work environment, or anything else. The "fourth estate" needs some trimming back.