Newark Air Traffic Controller on Trauma Leave After Equipment Failures

Air Traffic Controller's Trauma Leave

• ✈️ An air traffic controller supervisor, Jonathan Stewart, is on trauma leave after harrowing incidents involving equipment failures at Newark Airport.
• 🌙 Stewart describes experiencing nightmares of plane crashes and difficulty sleeping following the events.
• 🎯 He states that the incidents were related to equipment failures that caused controllers to lose communication with pilots.

Near Mid-Air Collision Incident

• ⚠️ On May 3rd, Stewart witnessed two planes from Teterboro and Morristown at risk of a head-on midair collision.
• 🗣️ He alerted the pilots in time, but the close call left him feeling angry and upset due to being overworked from staffing shortages.
• 📝 As a precaution, he was tracking planes with pen and paper, even though the radar was working, due to a prior incident.

Radar and Communication Outages

• 📉 On April 28th, colleagues of Stewart lost radar and communications with planes in Newark's airspace for 30 to 90 seconds.
• 😨 The atmosphere upon arrival was described as chaotic, with supervisors visibly distressed and pacing.

Systemic Issues and Criticisms

• ⏳ Stewart believes that successive administrations have failed to address air traffic control issues meaningfully.
• 📍 He criticizes the FAA's decision to relocate 23 Newark controllers to Philadelphia, which he believes exacerbated problems and caused delays.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 This relocation separated controllers from their families and established work relationships.

Cautious Optimism and Personal Stance

• 📈 Stewart is cautiously optimistic about the FAA's plans to hire and train more controllers.
• 🚫 However, he personally will not fly out of Newark until he is satisfied with the demonstrated level of safety and risk mitigation.
• 🛠️ The FAA is implementing a software update, reducing flight schedules, and plans to activate a new fiber line to improve communications.