Atlanta airport experienced six operational errors last year, mostly because of planes violating the minimum spacing permitted by the FAA. This was disclosed by Gary Brittain, the Atlanta control tower's representative to the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, a 14,000-member union battling with the Federal Aviation Administration over pay and staffing levels. Brittain, speaking to reporters in a conference call, attributed the airport's increase in controller error to stress caused by understaffing and controllers working too many overtime shifts. Last month, on Jan. 10, a Florida-bound Delta Air Lines flight aborted its takeoff at high speed, and the 757 blew three tires It was instructed to abort by ATC, due to another flight landing on a close-by parallel runway. Two air-traffic controllers were required to undergo retraining as a result of the incident.
    Had Delta Flight 1606 bound for West Palm Beach actually got airborne it would have encountered four other aircraft descending head-on to a parallel runway about a half-mile away. "We think we could have expedited his climb and kept the aircraft from having a collision," Brittain said. "There would have been near misses but we think we could have separated them in a last-ditch, panicked effort." The NTSB said the problem occurred as controllers were changing the runway configuration from landing and departing to the west to landing and departing to the east. A controller cleared Delta 1606 for takeoff, but then noted an incoming plane that had just landed on the adjacent runway. The controller immediately ordered the Delta flight to abort. The NTSB report notes the flight was traveling at about 160 mph, and was just prior to rotate speed when told to stop.
    Both controllers involved in the Jan. 10 incident had recently worked extra shifts, Brittain said. A round of retirements is straining the experience level in the tower and forcing veteran controllers to work overtime. The two ATCO's have more than 10 years of experience each. The FAA says there are now 35 fully certified controllers at Hartsfield-Jackson and four more in training. By the end of May there should be a total of 48 controllers. Those newbies will actually be experienced and come from other air traffic facilities that are not as busy, or they will arrive from the military.
    Runway changes are times fraught with error potential, particularly during high traffic flows. Mistakes can easily be made by both pilots and air controllers.