Dallas Cover Up Revealed

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is taking steps to strengthen the reporting system designed to classify airspace errors, in response to an embarrassing report by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Inspector General (IG) that revealed the intentional misclassification of operational errors at...

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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is taking steps to strengthen the reporting system designed to classify airspace errors, in response to an embarrassing report by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Inspector General (IG) that revealed the intentional misclassification of operational errors at the Dallas-Fort Worth Terminal Approach Control (TRACON).

The airspace errors included near misses and other separation losses due to controller error. The missteps are supposed to be immediately reported, classified by severity and then entered into a database so they can be used to detect emerging safety issues and head off future errors.

The FAA has removed both the facility manager and assistant manager at the Dallas-Fort Worth TRACON from their positions pending a final determination on possible further personnel actions. The aviation agency said others might also be disciplined.

"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."

The former United Airlines pilot acknowledged that the FAA said it would fix the problem in 2005 but "today it's clear to us that those commitments were not taken seriously by people in my organization who were responsible."

The FAA's Air Traffic Safety Oversight (ATSO) organization has implemented unannounced on-site audits at the TRACON, requiring monthly reports to FAA Acting Administrator Robert Sturgell.

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 is expected to be in place by the end of fiscal 2008.

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 initially lodged in 2004 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, but announced nationwide steps because "I'm not confident it can't happen elsewhere," said Krakowski.

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.

Currently, responsibility for incident determination lies solely with the facility manager. This move increases accountability of the managers by adding senior-level oversight. The FAA will also be accelerating the nation-wide deployment of the TARP by the end of 2009.

"The intentional distortion of reporting incidents defeats our ability to understand the root causes of errors and enact mitigation if we see a trend developing. Aside from the integrity issue, it's a lost opportunity to gain insight into causal factors," Krakowski added.

The FAA recently signed an agreement with the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) to create the Air Traffic Safety Action Program, designed to foster a voluntary, cooperative, non-punitive environment for the open reporting of safety concerns.

The FAA says this type of reporting system, which is used throughout industry, will help create an atmosphere where controllers and managers can identify, report and correct safety issues and emerging risks.

The controllers union is not pleased with how the FAA revealed the results of the yet to be released DOT IG probe.

NATCA President Patrick Forrey said "This is a classic cover-up by FAA management, which is desperate to hide information from the public at all costs."

Added Forrey: "We are grateful to these government investigators for exposing the truth about the true extent of safety problems at Dallas TRACON. While we won't know what the IG report will detail until it is released, we expect it to underline and support many of the items NATCA and other entities have asserted concerning the FAA's inability to address the aviation system's problems; many of which the FAA directly caused or created.

"NATCA is not surprised that FAA management at DFW TRACON went to such lengths to hide errors. The staffing at this facility is atrocious and dangerously unsafe. It is inadequate to ensure the highest safety margin. There is a clear correlation between falling staffing levels and the FAA's desperation to hide or reclassify a rising number of errors in an attempt to conceal the true safety risk," Forrey charged.

NATCA Southwest Regional Vice President Darrell Meachum, who represents the controllers at DFW TRACON, echoed Forrey's sentiments. "In the past, we were proud to work for the FAA. That sentiment has changed. Recent examples of FAA mismanagement and mistreatment of employee whistleblowers underscore the fact that the FAA has lost its way and its credibility when it comes to air safety."