Air traffic controller suspended for sleeping on the job

An air traffic controller was suspended for reportedly sleeping while working at a regional station that oversees Southern California's airspace, the Federal Aviation Administration said today.

The incident occurred in January at the Los Angeles Center in Palmdale, which handles high-altitude traffic for all of Southern California as well as portions of Nevada and Arizona and a small area above southwestern Utah, according to the FAA.

A second controller in Fort Worth was reprimanded after he was "observed with his eyes closed" while working, also in January, the FAA said.
 
"In an effort to improve communication and reporting, the FAA has made air traffic management changes and is reinforcing the need for more timely information sharing," the FAA said in a written statement.
 
The issue of fatigued air traffic controllers has come under close examination after a controller fell asleep in March at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., causing two passenger jetliners to land without assistance.
  
Last month, the FAA increased staffing during overnight shifts at 27 control towers across the country, including LA/Ontario International Airport and Burbank's Bob Hope Airport.

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