Colorado Air Traffic Controller Under Alcohol Investigation
DENVER (CBS4) - It's another black eye for the nation's air traffic controllers. This time officials have removed a controller in Longmont who may have been impaired on the job.
The controller at Denver Air Route Traffic Control Center was sent home after failing a drug and alcohol test. About mid-way through his shift on July 5 the worker was randomly tested and removed from duty when results came back positive. He was directing live air traffic at the time.
Officials at the Federal Aviation Administration have not disclosed what his blood-alcohol level was. The legal limit for air traffic controllers is .04, half the limit for drivers.
The Denver control center is responsible for conducting traffic over nearly 300,000 square miles in nine states.
The head of The Air-Traffic Controllers released a statement saying, "We take our responsibility of ensuring aviation safety very seriously. That includes acting professionally in all that we do. Thus, this incident is deeply troubling."
So far this year at least nine air traffic controllers have been investigated for various transgressions, including sleeping on the job.
The Denver worker is reportedly a former union representative and veteran air traffic controller. There were no problems or incidents with the airplanes he was directing when he was removed from duty. But if officials confirm that he was impaired, he will almost certainly lose his job.
Just last week, the FAA reached an agreement with the controllers union for changing fatigue regulations.
