[Peetwo]

Civil Air on Washington Mid Air CTA/ATC overload??

Courtesy the Oz, via CW..

Australian air traffic controllers urge Airservices to learn from Washington tragedy

Australian air traffic controllers have urged Airservices Australia to learn from the Washington crash, particularly with regards to staffing of airport control towers, and fatigue management.

The union representing air traffic controllers, Civil Air, has been in contact with their US counterpart NATCA, to express sympathy and concern about the mid-air collision.

Hours after the shocking crash between an American Airlines’ regional aircraft and a US military helicopter at Reagan Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration noted the air traffic control tower was understaffed by up to a third below targeted levels.

It was unclear as yet whether that contributed to the tragedy, with an air traffic control source suggesting it was not unusual for one controller to deal with both helicopters and jets.

Air traffic control communications revealed the helicopter was told to “go behind” the incoming Bombardier CRJ700 as it approached the runway.

However it continued to fly into the path of the CRJ, prompting speculation the pilot may have believed the controller was referring to another aircraft approaching the airport, which has three runways.

The Blackhawk and jet collided, sending both into the icy Potomac River, triggering a major search and rescue operation throughout the night.

No survivors were found with all 64 passengers and crew on the American Airlines’ flight and three soldiers on board the Blackhawk presumed dead.

Communications between the two aircraft and air traffic control were expected to be the focus of the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation into the collision, which occurred 5km from the White House



Civil Air president Scott Nugent said it was of the utmost importance the investi­gation was allowed to play out to its completion “without premature or unjust inference being drawn against the individual involved”. He said air traffic controllers were “highly trained, dedicated and professional individuals committed to the highest standards of air safety at all times”.

“Locally, Civil Air has been on the record for many years now, including to the air navigation provider Airservices and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, about the chronic shortage of air traffic controllers that not only has an unquestionable affect on the efficiency in Australia’s aviation network but in our view may lead to reduced safety margins when air traffic controllers are asked to handle more traffic with less ­people,” he said.

“Civil Air will continue in its efforts to advocate for improved staffing, safety and culture.”

Airservices declined to comment in relation to the Washington tragedy.

A spate of mid-air crashes in Australian airspace in recent years all occurred in uncontrolled airspace where pilots relied on radio communications with each other to maintain separation.

Following a collision at Mangalore that killed four people in February 2020, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau said it “supported enhancements to the Australian air traffic system”.

Since then there have been several other mid-air crashes, including at Sea World on the Gold Coast, Belimbla Park in Sydney’s southwest, and over Port Phillip Bay.

Plus:

Washington’s jam-packed airspace has prompted warnings for years



More than 700 planes had already taken off and landed at Reagan National Airport on Wednesday when American Airlines flight 5342 approached it through one of the nation’s most congested air corridors.

Shortly before 9pm, the passenger jet collided in a fireball with an Army Black Hawk helicopter on a routine training mission, leaving no survivors.

As officials scramble to determine the cause of the crash, the catastrophe is drawing new attention to longstanding safety warnings about the increasingly busy airspace above the nation’s capital.



Reagan sits on just 297ha of land along Potomac River, across from downtown Washington and the military’s Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling. Space is so tight that federal regulators dole out takeoff and landing rights.

The airport’s convenience and close proximity to the Capitol have made it irresistible to Washington’s politicians. Over the years, lawmakers have lobbied to open access and add more flights, often to make quick jaunts to their home states easier. Last year, after a fierce debate over whether the airport could absorb more flights, Congress authorised more, which were awarded to five airlines proposing to fly to San Antonio, San Diego, Seattle, Las Vegas and San Francisco.

Adding to the crowded airspace are helicopters that crisscross the Potomac every day, many of them military flights from the Pentagon and other government agencies ferrying officials or other passengers and cargo around Washington.

Officials and commercial and military pilots have warned that the airspace leaves little margin for error.

“We’re dealing with an extraordinarily complex airspace system that has been complicated even worse by the addition of flights to National Airport,” said Keith Meurlin, a retired Air Force major general and head of the Washington Airports Task Force. “At what point is enough enough?”



Pilots have been complaining for decades about the presence of military and other aircraft around Reagan.

“I cannot imagine what business is so pressing that these helicopters are allowed to cross the path of airliners carrying hundreds of people!” one pilot wrote in a 2013 report filed to the Aviation Safety Reporting System, or ASRS, after a near-collision with a helicopter. “What would normally be alarming at any other airport in the country has become commonplace at DCA.”

In his Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday, army secretary nominee Daniel Driscoll referred to the disaster as “an accident that seems to be preventable,” adding that the Pentagon may need to rethink its training flights around an “airport like Reagan.”

A 2021 Government Accountability Office report found that 88,000 helicopter flights took place within 50 miles (80km) of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport from 2017 through 2019. About 37 per cent of those flights were conducted by the military, the report said.

The Black Hawk involved in the midair collision was carrying three Army aviators on a training mission, according to Pentagon officials. The pilot and instructor had a combined 1,500 hours of flight time between them, earning many of those hours in the very corridor they were flying on Wednesday night.

A third Army pilot on board was getting an annual check ride to determine whether he or she could keep flying the aircraft, according to the Army, which hasn’t identified the service members.

Doug Rice, a former American Airlines captain who landed many times at Reagan National, said helicopters in that airspace are restricted to flying 200 feet (60m) above the ground. On Wednesday, the plane and the military helicopter collided about 400 feet in the air.

The helicopter “was in the wrong place at the wrong time,” said Rice. “The regional jet was doing what it was supposed to do.”



Rice said he believed the flight from Wichita was correct on its landing approach. The pilots of the regional jet, he said, might not have seen the helicopter due to backlighting, and the aircraft’s collision-avoidance system would have less functionality under 700 feet. The soldiers flying the Black Hawk might have spotted the wrong plane, Rice continued, or there may have been some mechanical error with the helicopter.

Whatever the reason, Rice said, the passengers, crew and pilots on the American Airlines flight “got put in a box, and it wasn’t their fault.”

Over the years, the number of such flights has grown. The helicopter involved in the crash belonged to the 12th Aviation Battalion out of Fort Belvoir in Virginia, which is responsible for flying generals, cabinet secretaries, congressmen and VIP visitors to Washington at least once a day.

Army pilots have been involved in a number of air mishaps over the past year, including some involving Black Hawks. In fiscal year 2024, at least nine troops, one contractor and one civilian died in collisions involving Army aircraft, according to a January 2025 report.

Last April, one pilot reported coming dangerously close to a military helicopter while coming in to land. “Suggestion: Need to have better separation for DCA traffic on the river visual to the helicopter traffic that is flying up and down the river,” the pilot wrote.

Such warnings are nothing new. “Why does the tower allow such nonsense by the military in such a critical area?” wrote another pilot in 2006, according to records reviewed by the Journal. “This is a safety issue, and needs to be fixed.”

But Washington powerbrokers clamoured to add routes. Some cities far from Washington were largely shut out, following a 1960s-era rule that limited how far planes could travel from then-National Airport. In turn, long-haul flights were shifted to newly built Dulles International Airport farther from the city, although exceptions have been made over the years.



The late Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.), for instance, pushed for a nonstop flight from Reagan to Phoenix, though he personally avoided flying it to avoid the appearance he had pursued the flight for his own convenience.

Reagan National was designed for about 15 million passengers a year, but by 2023 its volume has grown to more than 25 million a year, and a daily average of 820 takeoffs and landings. To increase the number of flights, there was a steady “chipping away” at a Transportation Department rule that prohibited airlines from flying from Reagan to destinations beyond 1250 miles, said Sen. Mark Warner (D., Va.).

While this led to complaints about the increasing number of flight delays, there were underlying safety concerns. “I’m thankful that there’s no loss of life, but it’s just plain unacceptable,” Warner said on the Senate floor in April, one day after a near miss between two flights when the Southwest and JetBlue planes nearly ran into each other as they crossed over the same runway.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D., Va.) beseeched his colleagues last April to stop adding more flights to the area.

“Some members of Congress view this package as an opportunity to jam even more planes for their own personal convenience into a runway at DCA that is already overburdened and can’t handle extra planes,” Kaine said, referring to Reagan National by its airport code. “The gamble is exactly the opposite of improving public safety.”

Despite the pleas of Kaine and Warner, the Senate authorised the FAA to increase flights by as many as 10 per day.

Finally I note that RS has been gifted the fulltime ASA CEO gig...

Via Oz Flying:

Airservices appoints New CEO

28 January 2025


The board of Airservices Australia last week appointed Rob Sharp to the position of permanent Chief Executive Officer.

Sharp had been interim CEO since May last year when the board elected not to review the contract of then CEO Jason Harfield.
Airservices chair John Weber said Sharp's performance in as interim CEO was a factor in the decision to appoint him permanently.

"Since joining Airservices as Interim CEO in July 2024, Rob has demonstrated exceptional leadership in enhancing the organisation’s operational performance and laying the foundation for long-term financial sustainability," Weber said.

"Under his guidance, Airservices has made significant strides in delivering improved outcomes for the aviation industry and the travelling public.
"Rob’s extensive experience across the aviation and transport sectors, coupled with his deep understanding of stakeholder engagement, has already proven invaluable.

"The Board is confident that his expertise and vision will continue to drive the organisation forward as we navigate the opportunities and challenges ahead."

Sharp is a former CEO of both TigerAir and Virgin Australia, and Secretary of Transport for NSW.

Former CEO Jason Harfield's term expired on 8 March last year, and only the day before the Airservices board told him his term would be extended to 8 June. However, on 17 April, he was told cabinet had decided not to re-appoint him.

The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts has declined to give reasons for Harfield not being re-appointed, citing "limitations around sharing information relating to cabinet processes".

According to Greens Spokesperson for Transport, Infrastructure and Sustainable Cities, Elizabeth Watson-Brown MP, Harfield was not reappointed because of pressure over noise complaints, particularly from Brisbane.

Plus from Dicky King (note the para in bold - ):

New Airservices Australia CEO announced

I welcome the substantive appointment of Rob Sharp as the Chief Executive Officer of Airservices Australia.

Mr Sharp has been appointed as the CEO following a worldwide search undertaken by the Airservices Board to fill the role. 

He brings over 25 years of senior executive experience in the aviation and transport sectors, having previously served as Secretary of Transport for New South Wales and CEO for both Virgin Australia Airlines and Tigerair Australia.

Mr Sharp’s experience in these sectors spans leadership, strategy, commercial and operational roles – including advancing aviation technology development and innovation. 

Building on his tenure as the interim CEO since last July, Mr Sharp’s appointment will provide continuity to Airservices Australia as it navigates future opportunities and aviation growth.

Airservices Australia is responsible for managing 11 per cent of the world’s airspace and delivering aviation rescue firefighting services at airports across the country. It plays a pivotal role in supporting Australia’s aviation industry to grow.

Airservices Australia also supports consultation and local engagement with communities, airports and industry stakeholders around the country on operations, development, planning and aircraft noise matters.

While the previous Coalition Government encouraged the retirement of highly skilled air traffic controllers and hollowed out Airservices Australia, the Albanese Government continues to work to rebuild this important organisation.

I congratulate Mr Sharp on his appointment and look forward to working closely with him and Airservices Australia to ensure our aviation industry remains among the safest in the world.

For more information on the work of Airservices Australia visit www.airservicesaustralia.com.

MTF...P2