Says Logs Prove Shortage Of Qualified Personnel

What the National Air Traffic Controller's Association calls a "worsening air traffic controller shortage" at one of the nation’s busiest radar control centers, Washington Air Route Traffic Control Center (ZDC), forced the Federal Aviation Administration to delay flights headed to, from or above the nation’s capital region on several occasions Saturday.

The union -- locked in a bitter contract dispute with the agency that employs its membership -- considers the episode another sign of looming trouble for the busy spring/summer travel season, due to what the union calls "massive losses of veteran controllers fed up with imposed work rules and pay freezes."

Washington Center controls a large swath of airspace extending from New Jersey to the Carolinas, west to the Appalachian Mountains. Coordinating closely with Potomac Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON), this facility works flights to and from the three major Washington, DC/Baltimore metropolitan area airports.

In addition to weather-related issues, the word "staffing" is referenced numerous times as a reason for flight restrictions on FAA activity logs for Washington Center (ZDC), which is also confirmed by the logs for Potomac TRACON (PCT). An example of those logs is available at the first FMI link.

Based on those logs, the worst of the staffing problems were in a part of Washington Center called "Area 6," in which controllers work airspace over both North Carolina and South Carolina. On Saturday at 0740 EDT, the FAA log summary indicates the Area 6 FAA supervisor reported "reduced staffing." There were just four fully certified controllers on duty, with one trainee. NATCA considers appropriate staffing to be eight to nine fully certified controllers.

The log shows that at 0745 EDT, spacing between flights -- known as "miles in trail," or MIT -- along the East Coast was increased by FAA management officials "due to staffing." At 0904 EDT, a ground stop was issued for all traffic departing Washington airports and headed for one particular radar position, called the DAILY fix, on an airway that aircraft use to travel south to places such as Florida, Savannah, GA, and Charleston, SC... due again to inadequate staffing levels.

At one point, according to FAA logs from Potomac TRACON, Washington Center was forced to put 50 miles between aircraft using the DAILY fix "due to staffing." The log states that 30-minute departure delays "were reported as (a) result." Normal spacing between flights on this air route is 15-20 miles, according to the union.

The facility worked with Washington Center to "reroute these aircraft," the log states.

FMI: Look At A ZDC Controller Log (.pdf), www.zdcartcc.org, www.natca.org