My study examined whether the organizational structure of air traffic control affects public safety outcomes. Air traffic control is a service where air traffic controllers direct planes on the ground and in the sky to keep safe distances between aircraft, prevent collisions, and guide pilots in inclement weather and complex airspace. As air travel continues to increase, there will be pressure on the Federal Aviation Administration to ensure a National Airspace System free of delays – while still ensuring the highest levels of aviation safety. The Federal Aviation Administration is a U.S Federal Agency responsible for the regulation of civil aviation and air traffic control in the United States. The figure below shows a graphic of how air traffic control works, from the moment a plane leaves the gate at an airport to when it lands at its destination.
While aviation accidents and air traffic errors are rare, they can be hugely consequential when they do occur. On September 26th, 2014, a disgruntled contracted employee set fire to the basement of the Chicago Air Route Traffic Control Center. This destroyed all of the communications equipment the center used to communicate with airplanes in its airspace.
The figure above shows a snapshot of busy air traffic across the national airspace system. The figure below shows the airspace around Chicago after the center fire. This accident placed large amounts of stress of the nation’s air traffic system and greatly increased the risk of an accident. This example of radar facility sabotage shows that there is still work to be done in ensuring a safe national airspace system. My study focused on the organizational structure of air traffic control and public safety, as technological upgrades alone will not take the human factors out of air traffic management.
Methodology
For my study, I interviewed over 20 air traffic controllers and Federal Aviation Administration management officials. I also analyzed Government Accountability Office reports and existing FAA plans to see plans for the future air traffic system. While I expected to see a clear sequential relationship between organizational structure, management practices, and aviation safety outcomes, I ended up finding a more clear direct relationship between organizational structure and public safety outcomes. Management practices did have an impact on safety, but its effect was much more varied than organizational structure.
How Organizational Structure Matters
A big takeaway of my study is that the organizational structure of air traffic control services matters has a direct relationship to aviation security and public safety.
1981 PATCO Strike And Mass Firing
One event affecting the organizational structure of air traffic control in the United States is the mass firing of striking air traffic controllers in 1981. The firing of approximately 11,000 air traffic controllers caused a major staffing shortage, one that continues to this day. Following President Reagan’s firing of the striking air traffic controllers, the FAA aggressively hired in the following years to make up for the loss. Now, however, the controllers hired during that period are starting to retire, threatening another demographic bust in the controller workforce at the FAA. This new wave of mass retirements has already put stress on many facilities, leaving the controllers there working more overtime, and at higher risk of fatigue and distraction.
Inconsistent Funding Stream
As a United States Federal Agency, the Federal Aviation Administration is subject to the congressional appropriations process. This can cause a great amount of budgetary instability for the FAA, as its budget is subject to political brinksmanship and sometimes sudden budget cuts. The budget sequestration of 2013 is a strong example of how across the board cuts resulted in frozen hiring, furloughed controllers, and delays across the National Airspace System.
Issues with Contracting
Issues with contracting also pose a threat to aviation security and public safety. A contracted employee was the root cause of the 2014 Chicago Center fire. Additionally, respondents described how contracted employees stole government computers from Indianapolis Center. FAA employees are subject to rigorous background checks, medical, and mental health clearances. These events show there may not be enough safeguards in the work that the Agency does with contractors.
Government Pay Structure
Currently, FAA employee’s salaries are capped at $189,600. Although Air traffic controllers command high wages due to the highly technical nature of their work, this cap is becoming an issue for the FAA’s development of high performing employees. Several respondents mentioned how the bump one would receive in pay in they were promoted to management is much less now than it used to be. This may be holding well qualified controllers back from jumping into supervisory roles, because of the additional responsibilities it carries does not outweigh the now much smaller pay increase. This affects safety because effective supervisors play an important role in overseeing air traffic operations and preventing errors.
Management Also Matters
I also found that management practices have an impact on public safety, though to less of an extent than organizational structure.
Positive Collaboration Between Management and NATCA
Positive relationships between the National Air Traffic Controllers Association and FAA management can help with aviation safety by collaboration on facility safety councils. These safety councils analyze safety trends of air traffic control operations, and look to prevent safety issues from becoming problems. The leadership and relationships of the air traffic controllers union and FAA management can vary widely by center, and has more of a localized effect than other variables impacting aviation safety.
Shift From Blame Culture to Reporting Culture
Additionally, the Agency has shifted from a blame culture to a reporting culture. There used to be very severe penalties if a controller made even a tiny mistake. Now there is an anonymous safety reporting system that gives some protections for controllers that report errors. This way there is more safety data to analyze, so that centers can proactively address safety issues, rather than being reactive. However, some respondents felt that this reporting system gives those that makes mistakes too little accountability and that it may not be a sufficient motivator for improved performance.
Leave a Reply