Comair Probe Prompts NTSB Letter

An April 10 safety recommendation issued by the NTSB calls for the FAA to revise its policies related to air traffic controller work schedules to account for disruptive sleep patterns and the accumulation of so-called sleep debt. It also recommends the institution of a training program to educate controllers and schedulers about the incidence and effect of fatigue on performance. The NTSB reported that the controller on duty during last August’s crash of a Comair CRJ in Lexington, Ky., had gotten only two hours sleep during the 24 hours leading up to the accident.