JFK tower allowed a kid to direct air traffic

03-03-2010 04:11PM #1

Just heard this on the radio :eek:.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35683779/ns/travel-news/

NEW YORK - A child apparently directed pilots last month from the air traffic control center at John F. Kennedy Airport, one of the nation's busiest airports, according to audio clips. The Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday that it was investigating.
"Pending the outcome of our investigation, the employees involved in this incident are not controlling air traffic," the FAA said in a statement. "This behavior is not acceptable and does not demonstrate the kind of professionalism expected from all FAA employees." The agency declined to comment beyond the statement.
Recordings from mid-February — during a weeklong winter break for many New York schoolchildren — were posted last month on a Web site for air traffic control-listening aficionados.

I presume his Dad is definitely fired.. but what a legend of a kid.
20 years later when he goes for the job..
"what experience do you have?" ... "well.. funny story.."

Reganio 2 · 03-03-2010 04:13PM

Did any planes crash? No well hire them then. Good job kids.

Mark200 · 03-03-2010 04:15PM

I don't see the big deal really. Obviously it shouldn't have happened, but I'm sure his dad was right beside him just telling him what to say.

AnonoBoy · 03-03-2010 04:20PM

Lil' Blind Billy?

Sure he didn't do any harm when they let him drive in the Nascar Rally, what harm could he do telling some plane drivers where to go?

ejmaztec · 03-03-2010 04:20PM

They could employ him here, and he certainly wouldn't be looking for the sh1tload of money that Irish ATCs get paid. A Hershey bar a day should do it.

bonerm · 03-03-2010 04:29PM

Ronald Reagan would approve ..... were he looking up at this from his current location in the firey depths of hell.

Minstrel27 · 03-03-2010 04:29PM

Mark200 wrote: »

I don't see the big deal really.

Unless he is trained then it is a big deal.

Mark200 · 03-03-2010 04:32PM

Minstrel27 wrote: »

Unless he is trained then it is a big deal.

Trained for what? Speaking? His dad, who is trained, was probably telling him exactly what to say. That was my point.

That_Guy · 03-03-2010 04:33PM

And Bill Cullen says the young people today are a bunch of moaners with no work ethic. Ha.

admiralofthefleet · 03-03-2010 04:33PM

when did it happen? was it september 2001

That_Guy · 03-03-2010 04:34PM

admiralofthefleet wrote: »

when did it happen? was it september 2001

February 2010.

Riddle101 · 03-03-2010 04:49PM

At least this didn't happen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkCQ_-Id8zI

Minstrel27 · 03-03-2010 04:50PM

Mark200 wrote: »

Trained for what? Speaking? His dad, who is trained, was probably telling him exactly what to say. That was my point.

Do you condone children sitting on their parents lap while they are driving?

What harm if the parent is telling them what way to turn.

IvyTheTerrible · 03-03-2010 04:54PM

Mark200 wrote: »

Trained for what? Speaking? His dad, who is trained, was probably telling him exactly what to say. That was my point.

You don't remember the Aeroflot plane that crashed because the pilot let his child hold the controls while it was on auto-pilot. He was standing beside him telling him what to do too.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeroflot_Flight_593

Canis Lupus · 03-03-2010 04:56PM

Minstrel27 wrote: »

Do you condone children sitting on their parents lap while they are driving?

What harm if the parent is telling them what way to turn.

Driving a car requires physical input from the child, ATC just required voice commands.

However

imo ATC isn't something to be messed around with. I don't think whoever let the child do it should be fired, just a severe reprimand.

Riddle101 · 03-03-2010 05:05PM

Canis Lupus wrote: »

Driving a car requires physical input from the child, ATC just required voice commands.

However

imo ATC isn't something to be messed around with. I don't think whoever let the child do it should be fired, just a severe reprimand.

It dosen't matter if the father was telling him what to say, there is no excuse for such disregard like that. It's an air traffic control tower, that is trusted to land planes, and when you do something like allowng your kid to land a plane you a putting the lives of the people on those planes in Jepordy.

My question is, did the pilots of the plane know it was a kid directing them. If I was a pilot i'd be seriously angry with whoever allowed a child on the air, let alone direct a plane. I'd make sure it was a professional.

Theta · 03-03-2010 05:08PM

How old is the kid a child is anyone under the age of 18 years old I suppose so it could have been a 17 year old kids being told what to say by his dad.

I have heard of scarier things happening in control towers.

o1s1n · 03-03-2010 05:08PM

IvyTheTerrible wrote: »

You don't remember the Aeroflot plane that crashed because the pilot let his child hold the controls while it was on auto-pilot. He was standing beside him telling him what to do too.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeroflot_Flight_593

eeek -

wiki wrote:

Soon the plane banked past a 45-degree angle (steeper than it was designed for). This increased the g-force on the pilots and crew, making their bodies feel much heavier than usual, and making it impossible for the Captain to replace his son at the controls. After banking as much as 90 degrees, the remaining functions of the autopilot tried to correct the plane's altitude by putting the plane in an almost vertical ascent, nearly stalling the plane. The co-pilot and Eldar managed to get the plane into a nosedive, which reduced the G-force on the pilots and enabled the Captain to take the controls. Though he and his co-pilot did regain control, their altitude by then was too low to recover, and the plane crashed at high speed, killing all aboard.

IvyTheTerrible · 03-03-2010 05:13PM

o1s1n wrote: »

eeek -

My thoughts exactly!

aDeener · 03-03-2010 05:15PM

Minstrel27 wrote: »

Do you condone children sitting on their parents lap while they are driving?

What harm if the parent is telling them what way to turn.

the child was not in the way of the pilots flying, thats completely different

aDeener · 03-03-2010 05:17PM

Riddle101 wrote: »

It dosen't matter if the father was telling him what to say, there is no excuse for such disregard like that. It's an air traffic control tower, that is trusted to land planes, and when you do something like allowng your kid to land a plane you a putting the lives of the people on those planes in Jepordy.

My question is, did the pilots of the plane know it was a kid directing them. If I was a pilot i'd be seriously angry with whoever allowed a child on the air, let alone direct a plane. I'd make sure it was a professional.

so if the correct route for the plane was say, "turn left". qualified father told child to say "turn left" which child duly said and pilots duly done. where is the problem?

Hagar · 03-03-2010 05:20PM

aDeener wrote: »

so if the correct route for the plane was say, "turn left". qualified father told child to say "turn left" which child duly said and pilots duly done. where is the problem?

Exactly, big bullies, leave little Muhammed alone. :mad:

JohnK · 03-03-2010 05:22PM

Complete over reaction IMO, a fully qualified ATC was in control at all times and the child mearly vocalised the instructions.

aidan24326 · 03-03-2010 05:22PM

Mark200 wrote: »

I don't see the big deal really. Obviously it shouldn't have happened, but I'm sure his dad was right beside him just telling him what to say.

As mentioned:

Aeroflot Flight 593, was a "Russian Airlines"[1] Airbus A310 passenger airliner, registration F-OGQS, operating on behalf of Aeroflot, which crashed into a hillside in Kemerovo Oblast on 23 March 1994. All 75 passengers and crew were killed.

Voice and flight data recorders revealed that the pilot's 15-year-old son Eldar Kudrinsky, while seated at the controls, had unknowingly disabled the A310's autopilot's control of the ailerons, which put the aircraft into a steep bank, and then an uncontrolled dive. The pilots were not aware of the partial disconnection of the autopilot, which occurred with no audible alarm, and did not regain control of the aircraft.

ATC is no place for a child either. Full stop.

o1s1n · 03-03-2010 05:23PM

aDeener wrote: »

so if the correct route for the plane was say, "turn left". qualified father told child to say "turn left" which child duly said and pilots duly done. where is the problem?

The child could have easily said -

'Turn right!!! ha ha!! headshot!!! pwn pwn pwn!'

In which case two planes could have collided, killing everyone.

With no respawns.

Kids can be little sh1ts like that. Not really a chance worth taking.

aDeener · 03-03-2010 05:25PM

o1s1n wrote: »

The child could have easily said -

'Turn right!!! ha ha!! headshot!!! pwn pwn pwn!'

In which case two planes could have collided, killing everyone.

With no respawns.

Kids can be little sh1ts like that. Not really a chance worth taking.

no respawns? well now you're just being unrealistic

partyatmygaff · 03-03-2010 05:27PM

It mightn't seem like a big deal to you guys but relaying instructions by a child could have caused a major accident. The kid could have called out the wrong callsign or directed them to a wrong heading or altitude. It's far too risky.

JohnK · 03-03-2010 05:28PM

And had he done so his father who was sitting right next to him and also on the radio would have corrected the instructions.

kingtut · 03-03-2010 05:38PM

Every little story makes its way to After Hours these days, it's becoming it's own tabloid

I used to like After Hours but these days I look at it even less and less. It's a shame really.

Minstrel27 · 03-03-2010 05:40PM

aDeener wrote: »

the child was not in the way of the pilots flying, thats completely different

You do realise what the ATC do yes? They inform all pilots of what's happening in the air around them and give clearances for landing and so on.

Riddle101 · 03-03-2010 05:41PM

aDeener wrote: »

so if the correct route for the plane was say, "turn left". qualified father told child to say "turn left" which child duly said and pilots duly done. where is the problem?

The problem is total disregard or lack of respect for safety and regulation. If you're an Air Trafic Controller, you're supposed to have responsibility and professionalism. You don't just let you're kid on the controls and tell him to say this or that because it dosen't matter, if he was guiding the kid it's wrong. As someone already said what if the kid gives the wrong message to the plane, he's potentially a health risk to all the people onboard the plane and a liability to the father who in his carelessness should have known better.

JFK tower allowed a kid to direct air traffic

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