Jet Told To Overfly Antennas Within 500 Feet

The FAA wants to know why a corporate jet on approach to Dallas Love Field was directed to overfly an antenna farm at a lower-than-required altitude last month. The bizjet was told by air traffic controllers to descend to 3,000 feet over the Cedar Hill antenna farm on May 26... within 500 feet of the tallest tower, at 2,549 feet.

WFAA-8 reports the lowest altitude jets are allowed to descend to over the complex is 3,500 feet. Love Field-based Southwest Airlines says it tells its pilots to overfly the farm at 4,000 feet to avoid close calls.

Under VFR conditions, the antenna farm is readily visible... but thunderstorms were in the area on the day in question, restricting visibility.

Mike Conley, president of the Dallas chapter of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, says fatigue may have played a role in the incident. The controller handling the flight had worked 18 out of 21 days, or three six-day work weeks.

"There was too much air space and no help," Conely said. "There was talk of getting him help, but there were no bodies available."

Conely added another controller noticed the situation, and vectored the aircraft away from the farm on a climbing turn to 4,000 feet "to get him away from harm ways."

WFAA reports there are now 70 fully-certified controllers working the airspace over DFW. By the FAA's own standards, there should be between 83 and 101; NATCA has said they need 117, a number the FAA termed "wishful thinking."

(Chart courtesy of SkyVector.com)

FMI: www.faa.gov, www.natca.org