NTSB: Air Controller Nearly Causing a Collision

An air traffic controller with a history of discipline problems almost caused air collision between regional aircraft and small plane last year, the National Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday.

A regional jets operated by ExpressJet and single-engine Cessna came within 300 feet of colliding after they are cleared for take off on intersecting runways at the Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport in Mississippi on June 19, according to NTSB officials and documents released by the council.

There were 53 passengers and crew were regional jet, an Embraer ER145. A student pilot, accompanied by a flight instructor, flying the Cessna 172.

Robert Beck airport control tower first Cessna clean takeoff at runway 18, according to the document. Approximately 16 seconds later, Beck regional jet cleaning, Continental Express Flight 2555, to take off on runway 14, which crosses runway 18. No warning was issued for either pilot to other areas although other controller who heard takeoff distance told investigators he shouted a warning to Beck, "You've got two rolling!"

Both aircraft are in the same height, about 300 feet above the airport, when they passed within 300 feet laterally from each other. As the plane passed, ExpressJet captain shouted to his co-pilot: "Wow, it's close." One of the air traffic manager told investigators, "It's a miracle that nobody died," according to the NTSB summary of the interview the researcher.

The plane was headed Houston's Bush Intercontinental Airport, where he landed quietly. The aircraft was operated for Continental before joining fully in operation with United Airlines.
After that, air traffic officials told investigators Beck has a "history of professional shortcomings which include taking a shortcut with the phraseology and not in accordance with the standard checklist procedures," says the document.

Beck, a controller for 23 years, also has been suspended several times in the last five years for tardiness, absenteeism and failure to report arrests for driving under the influence. Beck has also been removed from the training tasks after training less experienced controllers complained that "Mr. Beck was in back of the room with his feet up and eyes closed" during the training session, the document said.

The Associated Press could not reach Beck by phone for comment.
Beck is still an air traffic controller at the airport in Gulfport, according to Federal Aviation Administration, which operates the air traffic control system of the nation.
"FAA makes changes to management in Gulfport following the incident in June and was suspended and decertified the controller involved. Controller that has been retrained and recertified," the agency said in a statement.

The NTSB has lifted an air traffic controller and pilot professionalism to the list of top safety concerns in response to a series of incidents over the past few years, including the crash of 2009 where the controller in New Jersey was talking on the phone to a friend about roasting a cat died when a small plane he was collided with a helicopter tour of handling air, killing nine people.

"Lack of focus in the air collision near (in Mississippi) between commercial jets and a small private plane is a reminder that a single error can have potentially disastrous consequences," said NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman said in a statement.
"While most individuals in the aviation industry in a focused and professional, events like this continue to happen, which means there is still much work to be done to ensure that air travel as safe as possible," he said.

Last spring, FAA officials set some changes in scheduling air traffic controllers after several controllers caught sleeping on duty or, in one case, watching a movie.

Doug Church, spokesman for the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said the union took the incident as a near-collision on the Mississippi "very serious."

"We welcome the investigation of this incident by federal officials and plans to cooperate with the FAA to continue to improve the security of our aviation system," said Church.