Two suspended after child 'directs' airport jets

An air traffic controller and a supervisor have been suspended after a young boy was allowed to give directions to pilots at New York’s JFK Airport.

As planes waited to take off, the jargon-packed radio chatter between controllers and pilots was interrupted by a young boy’s voice: “JetBlue 171, cleared for take-off.”

A controller who brought his son to work let the youngster read a few routine messages to pilots – then brought in another child the next day, it emerged later.

The incident amused pilots, but not the Federal Aviation Administration, which suspended the controller and the supervisor yesterday after a recording of the radio calls was posted on the internet, then reported by a Boston television station.

“This lapse in judgment not only violated FAA’s own policies, but common-sense standards for professional conduct. These kinds of distractions are totally unacceptable,” FAA administrator Randy Babbitt said.

“This kind of behaviour does not reflect the true calibre of our workforce.”

The FAA said it had also barred unofficial visits by friends or relatives to air traffic operational areas while it reviews its policies.

During his visit, the boy got to squeak a few more instructions to pilots before signing off, including cheekily telling the crew aboard a departing Aero Mexico flight: “Adios.”

On the recording, which lasts about a minute, the primary school-age boy appears to repeat instructions fed to him by his father. At no time ddi tell aircraft how to manoeuvre in flight.

At the time, pilots appeared delighted, with one saying: “I wish I could bring my kid to work.”

Radio transmissions between air traffic controllers and pilots are routinely streamed live on the internet. A user of one popular website devoted to controller talk, LiveATC.net, posted a recording of the child’s radio calls not long after they happened on February 16 – a date when many New York schoolchildren were on a mid-winter break.

The boy made five transmissions to pilots preparing for departure, according to the recording.

“JetBlue 171, cleared for take-off,” the boy says in his first call. His father follows that up with a more detailed instruction for the aircraft, which was heading to Sacramento, California.

He then offers an explanation to pilots on the air: “This is what you get, guys, when the kids are out of school.”

In a second exchange, the boy instructs the same JetBlue flight to contact departure controllers. The pilot responds: “Over to departure, JetBlue 171. Awesome job!”

There are a few more similar exchanges. A pilot laughs and the boy can be overheard giggling.

Based on the flight numbers called out during the exchange, the episode appears to have happened in the early evening, when JFK is often bustling with international flights.

The FAA offered scant detail on its investigation and would not reveal the name of the controller or supervisor. Control towers are highly secure areas, although the agency does sometimes give employees permission to bring their children for a tour.

The union representing air traffic controllers condemned the worker’s behaviour.

“It is not indicative of the highest professional standards that controllers set for themselves and exceed each and everyday in the advancement of aviation safety,” the National Air Traffic Controllers Association said.

But LiveATC founder Dave Pascoe, a pilot and radio enthusiast, said he was sickened at the thought that the controller could be disciplined.

“I absolutely believe that this is being blown out of proportion,” he said. “This is just a completely controlled situation. A child was being told exactly what to say.

“I think it’s just fantastic that this guy cared enough to take his kid to work. How many parents take their kids to work these days?”

The episode comes less than seven months after a controller at an airport in nearby Teterboro, New Jersey, was placed on leave for his actions in the moments leading up to a deadly crash between a helicopter and small plane over the Hudson River.

Nine people, including five Italian citizens, were killed.

The controller was recorded joking on the phone with his girlfriend as he dispatched instructions to the doomed plane. He ended the call when he realised the plane had dropped out of radio contact seconds before the crash.