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Audit Finds Air Traffic Control Managers Hid Mistakes

By BJ Austin

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-699300.mp3

Dallas, TX – The Dallas Fort Worth TRACON - (Terminal Radar Approach Control) - directs all planes within a 50 mile radius of DFW Airport. Darrell Meachum, Regional Vice President of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, says the managers hid 62 controller-reported errors in the required paperwork to make themselves and the operation look better when it came time for promotions and raises. He says controllers have been telling the FAA this for months.

Meachum: "Prior to the last four, five six weeks, the FAA has been very successful convincing the public they have everything under control. And I think it's very, very clear at this point they do not."

Roland Herwig, with the FAA, says it's part of an administrative house-cleaning.

Herwig: "This is like the audit that's going on with the airplanes. It's a matter of getting various administrative things together, and in this case, also making sure that people are reporting things properly."

DFW Airport in a statement says it's concerned with the Inspector General's findings, we are grateful that new and verifiable procedures have been implemented and that others will follow.