NATCA Says IG Report Finally Exposed Agency "Cover-Up"
There was something rotten at
the Dallas-Fort Worth TRACON... and steps have been taken to
correct the situation. So says the FAA, which on Thursday announced
the removal of two high-level managers from the Terminal Approach
Control facility, following a report by the US Department of
Transportation's Inspector General (IG) that revealed what the
agency calls "the intentional misclassification of operational
errors."
In direct response to IG recommendations, the FAA removed both
the facility manager and assistant manager at the TRACON from their
positions pending a final determination on possible further
personnel actions. The agency notes additional personnel actions
may be taken.
Specifically, the IG found that management at the Dallas-Fort
Worth TRACON investigated operational errors and deviations, but
routinely and intentionally misclassified them as pilot errors or
non-events. The report was prompted by whistleblower allegations
that management was covering up operational errors and
deviations.
It found that between November 2005 and July 2007, TRACON
managers misclassified 62 air traffic events as pilot deviation or
non-events when it fact there were 52 operational errors and 10
operational deviations. The IG found no evidence of
misclassification issues beyond the Dallas-Fort Worth TRACON.
Also in response to the allegations contained in the IG report,
the Air Traffic Safety Oversight organization has implemented
unannounced on-site audits at the TRACON, requiring monthly reports
to the FAA's acting administrator. Additionally, the FAA will
accelerate deployment of the Traffic Analysis Review Program (TARP)
-- software that automatically detects losses of aircraft
separation at terminal facilities -- at Dallas-Fort Worth TRACON.
The program will be implemented by the end of fiscal year 2008.
"I am deeply disturbed by the
findings in this report," said Hank Krakowski, chief operating
officer of the FAA's Air Traffic Organization. "I am personally
committed to making sure the IG's recommendations are implemented
and that managers are held accountable."
Patrick Forrey -- president of the National Air
Traffic Controllers Association, which is locked in a contentious
contract battle with the FAA -- told ANN the IG report exposed "a
classic cover-up by FAA management, which is desperate to hide
information from the public at all costs," adding the union was
"grateful to these government investigators for exposing the truth
about the true extent of safety problems at Dallas TRACON.
"The genesis of this investigation was an allegation that FAA
management was misclassifying controller errors as pilot errors,
known as pilot deviations," Forrey said. "Let me make this point
perfectly clear: We are talking about an FAA management cover-up
here. Air traffic controllers, whom NATCA represents, are not in a
position to classify any pilot deviation, operational error, or
operational deviation.
"Controllers report any suspected losses of separation between
aircraft and FAA management then determines responsibility," he
added. "Any error FAA management misclassified was first identified
for investigation by a controller who was doing their job."
Krakowski said the FAA is putting measures in place to ensure
that misclassifications won't happen anywhere else in the system.
The FAA will establish a nationwide, independent quality assurance
position that will report directly to the just-appointed vice
president of Safety Services for the Air Traffic Organization, Air
Force Reserve Brigadier General Robert O. Tarter. The position will
oversee incident reporting, make incident determinations, and audit
the data integrity of facility reports. Currently, responsibility
for incident determination lies solely with the facility
manager.
The FAA believes this move increases accountability of the
managers by adding senior-level oversight. The agency will also
accelerate the nationwide deployment of the TARP by the end of
2009.