Some Controllers Not Getting Enough Sleep, NTSB Says

The NTSB says that fatigued air traffic controllers caused two near misses at O’Hare International Airport, The Associated Press reported on Tuesday. The incidents reveal a recurring pattern of fatigue, and officials should “emphasize the importance of sleep management,” the NTSB said. On March 21, two airliners were cleared to take off from intersecting runways, and came within 100 feet of each other before stopping. Two days later, an airplane was cleared to taxi across a runway where another jet was on its takeoff roll. They missed by 600 feet. In one case, the controller had just four hours of sleep the night before, and in the other case, a trainee controller had an untreated sleep disorder, authorities said. A union rep told the AP that controllers will call in sick if they feel they haven’t had enough rest to work safely.