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Air traffic control to plane: “Where in God’s name are you going?” [video]

Posted by / September 29, 2015

This video should be shown at conferences, HR meetings, team meetings, pretty much everywhere. The air traffic controller is blatantly wrong and then gets defensive when the pilot calls him on his mistake. Rather than push the issue, though, the pilot immediately deescalates the situation. When lives are at stake, there’s no time for an Alpha Male contest.

Full story at Daniel Mori.

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  • as

    shone? i didn’t bother to reed the rest hah

  • Gary

    Air Traffic Controllers issues thousands of clearances / headings / altitudes / frequencies and much more, every single day. They try to avoid having “Deals”; which is getting aircraft too close together and violating rules which are in place to prevent human mistakes from allowing airplanes to actually collide. I am a retired air traffic controller and while this controller was absolutely wrong in issuing the altitude and then used unacceptable phraseology that was mildly offensive and insulting; he was professional and addressed a situation in a way that ensured safety. Too bad ignorant people who don’t know a thing about air traffic control, and management (who is management because they can not control aircraft) will likely damage the career of this controller. Good job controller X. Glad to have you working and hopefully management will get rid of the controller that repeatedly have “DEALS” almost every day, rather than a person that is effective at ensuring the people stay alive in planes. I know you apologized to that pilot when you listened to the tape and hopefully the pilot (most are highly intelligent people) accepted it while rubbing it in; just a little.

  • John

    Obviously ‘someone’ didn’t take the English classes seriously, BUT….I blame whoever had the balls to hire a total illiterate to construct and proof new content. Typical of today’s idiots! I’ll not read a bit more by these fools!

  • john

    What is “shone” and who edits these articles???????? How about shown???????

  • Chris

    I lost interest at “shone” as well

  • Wow. If a misspelled word runs someone away from something interesting then I imagine you’re missing out on a lot of interesting stuff out there. We are proud of you for being able to spell but wow.

  • Miraculously i was able to get through the article because I knew what they meant rather than what they typed. Some people just aren’t on my level I guess.

  • Alpha Complex – YEP it happens.
    (1) I once told my boss that the new power supply in the server that he was installing was not Specs. Told to mind my on business. 12 seconds later the entire mother-board went PUFF melting every piece of solder on it, taking the network down and shutting the company for 6 hours.
    (2) Once told a McDoanld’s clerk she gave me wrong change. She gave me $5.00 and change from a $10.00 where I had ordered about 16.00 of food for my group and hadn’t finished paying her yet. She screamed and called manager who looked at what ever screwy screen and said LOUDLY – NO THIS IS ALL CORRECT. I said okay and took all my food and change.
    (3) Once told the I R S that my check was incorrect (in Person) I was told if I didn’t like it – I could file a protest “We have better things to do than go over your math.” The check was 67,000.00 and made out to “John Doe”. That was in 1999 – I still have that check.
    (4) Once told Comcast that they connected my internet wrong. They tested it remotely and said it is working fine. I said fine, but no one ever showed up here, I think that they installed it two doors down the street.
    (5) Once, I was billed $45.00 in service Fees by Bank Of America for an overdraft. I have never had an account there.
    The manager said I would still have to pay it. LOL.

    Has anyone else run against people who JUST WILL NOT LISTEN to anything. ????

  • Mogman

    Chill spell police. “Shone” is a word thus spell check missed it.

  • Dennis

    As a retired controller that exchange is troublesome. One reason I retired 4 years early was to not have to deal with the new generation of controllers.

  • EVS

    The scary thing is that this editor / writer probably went to an American school and Graduated !

  • Rodger Dodger

    So you are saying you didn’t red the article?

  • hans

    lucky for the controller their ass is protected by the faa, this is common, but let a pilot screw up like that and your neck deep with the faa.

  • jh

    This controller was obviously trying to cover up his mistake, He gave the pilot the wrong heading and should have admitted it..and not put the onness on the pilot

  • Tim

    So let me get this straight. The controller sent the plane towards a runway in use for departure, then told the pilot he should of questioned that? That was the controllers reasoning for not just stating he made a mistake? I had to watch this with out sound so bare with me. What an EGO on this guy. People make mistakes, but for GOD’S sake (All pun intended) because he asked Where in God’s name where were they going? just fix the problem so people don’
    t die!

  • Roy

    Just think what would have happened if that were two women in their time of month it would have been tragic….

  • lapd13142

    As a former military ATC controller (and Commercially rated pilot) I can categorically say that the controller in this scenario was/is wired tightly. Yes, he’s in full control of his sector and the planes in that sector, but it sounds like he could use a chill pill or a vacation. That said being an ATC controller is a high pressure gig and it does have a tendency to beat down even the best of men.

  • john

    Wow. Grammar and spelling are just going down the tubes all around. And yes, I know some of the comments are being made in jest, but some of them aren’t.

  • Robert

    Tim’s grammar is bad also….should have instead of should of

  • Pat

    Grammar and spelling are extremely important – why advertise ignorance? But you know what? Relevance is important as well. The issue being reported occurred over 3 1/2 years ago. Are we really that desperate for news?

  • HoundDog

    Many times in my Instrument training days and after ward too controlers many times would forget about U and let ya fly through a loc final or forget to let U desend. One time I’m comming over O’Hear at 11,000 and they had no trafic to the north and I was headed to Burlington Wisconsin in a Turbo Lance with a ground OAT of around -3 F. Well Because I didn’t want to abuse the Engine It was all most 25 miles north before I could get down to 6’000 be he turned me over for MKE approach. MKE wanted to know if I knew where Burlington was.

  • Leroy

    I have been a controller at a major Air Route Traffic Control Center for over 25 years. The controller was wrong. Period. The pilot did a fantastic job, the controller should have had to listen to his tapes, been reprimanded for an unprofessional attitude, but all Air Traffic Controllers have a get-out-of-jail free card called ATSAP. Modelled after the airlines safety program, it is supposed to encourage cooperation to improve safety. Instead, it is blatantly abused as a system to file a report and get out of any and all situations and incorrect actions. You need to remember, pilots are in the plane and their mistakes kill themselves in most accidents, hence they have a great motivator to improve safety. Controllers have just turned it into a permanent bail bond. Search KRPC Channel 2 in Houston, review their investigation about how controllers have been negligent, careless, and unprofessional to the point of being the major contributing factor in an aircraft accidents and 4 deaths. No repercussions, two weeks listening to computer lessons, and the controller is back working, full pay, no issues. Air Traffic Controllers in todays system are blameless no matter what. I do not fly myself anymore.

  • Bob Wagner

    Here is one not in jest. I’m a pilot and I learned to fly in the busy NY airspace. Most of the controllers are top notch, and when we are inside the Bravo (controlled) airspace we must comply with speed, altitude and heading instructions UNLESS, as pilot in command we deem it unsafe to do so. We are always the last word and the controller has to comply if we decline an instruction. There may be trouble over it later, but it’s the pilot in command who makes the final call. In this case, there is no evidence the incorrect 180 heading would have made the pilot think he was doing anything but avoiding traffic or sequencing. This controller could have killed a lot of people and needs to be re-trained, re-evaluated, and probably suspended.

  • Tom

    The pilot in command is ultimately responsible for his aircraft and the passengers in it. He has the right and duty to question bad instructions from controllers who screw up. I recall one time, a controller cleared me for final on Runway 35 Right. Looking over to my left, I saw another airplane off my left wing making for the same runway at the same time. We were less than 2 miles out from the runway. I simply called the tower and explained that I would like an alternate runway, and why. They gave my my choice – I had the airport for myself. I suppose they were thankful that we didn’t die making the controllers look bad.

  • Jim

    Kyle Lewis, I agree. Tim, the guy probably got fired after. Rodger Dodger, good one!

  • GP

    The controllers in the NE corridor, particularly NY, are the ones with the Alpha Male complex, NOT the pilots. This guy’s voice sounds very similar to a controller who chewed on me from check-on to check-off because on initial contact I misspoke our assigned altitude AND IN THE SAME BREATH SAID, “Correction….” and corrected it. If i could have reached through the mic and throttled the bastard, I would have done it.

  • Gary S

    The Capt. was wise. Get safely on the ground, call and get the tapes pulled. The controller knew he’s was screwed once the Capt resolved the situation. Professionals in aviation can and do make errors. It’s how one resolves the issue that insure safety.

  • ron

    I doubt he got fired, hopefully he got some remedial training. The Union would not let him get fired for this incident. I’m sure he was red faced after listening to the tape. I am a retired controller and hold a commercial pilot’s license. Houndog needs to check his spelling and grammar too.

  • comanchepilot

    I was over DIXIE – an intersection a few miles south of JFK at 7000′ in my Comanche heading to Connecticut.

    The controller told me to turn left to 340, from a heading of 045 or so. I repeated and complied.

    He comes back up all pissy and asks me why I slowed down, it was screwing up his spacing.

    I said: “I’ve love to take a 50 knot tail wind with me everywhere I go but when I turn perpendicular to it it tends to go away . . . the hamsters are spinning as fast as they can go”

    Silence. Then: “OK – 90 Pop turn back direct JFK own nav, I’ll work it out.”

    Roger .. direct JFK.

  • NH

    I am an air traffic controller. I will retire in less than 1 year. I have had countless developmentals. I learned early in my career and therefore teach them this fact: The most difficult skill to master as an ATC is “listening to yourself speak”. We usually are saying one thing while planning our next transmission. If somebody tells you what you said, you had better humble yourself and listen to them. They are most likely correct.

  • Doc

    This happens in every industry. I believe it’s referred to as the Peter Principle.

  • Who cares about spelling and grammar in the comments—this isn’t English 101?!? It’s too easy to make mistakes with a mobile device’s tiny keypad anyway … lighten up! 🙂

  • Controllers make mistakes, just like everyone else. That is why you never chastise a pilot on frequency because they did something wrong or something other than what you ‘think’ you told them to do. Tapes don’t lie, and in this case, the
    controller told him to turn to heading 180, when he meant to say 280. I am sure if you asked the controller, he would
    swear that he turned the plane to 280. Trust me, I’ve been there more than once.