Two near mid-air collisions, only three months apart from each other in 2011, sparked a probe into Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.
The National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary report that highlights concerns. The report doesn't say exactly what caused the collisions, but the NTSB identified several key factors that may have led tot he breakdown of communication.
The report said one captain felt he was "nearly getting killed" when his plane was almost involved in a near collision with another plane on May 16th. The planes missed one another by several hundred feet.
"An air traffic control person missed, then it took the pilot to catch it," explains aviation expert Joe Schwieterman. "And we can be thankful that one of these near misses for the evasive action from a pilot that was very quick on his feet."
The report also mentioned the second incident in August 2011 where employees claim an obstruction forced controllers to yell vital information across the room and a confusing runway layout.
The Chicago Department of Aviation released this statement: "We coordinate with and support the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), air traffic controllers and all our other federal and local partner agencies to ensure the highest level safety at O'Hare and Midway International Airports."
"There's been a lot of tension with air traffic control. There's been a lot of complexity to try to untangle this airport built in the 50's," says Schwieterman. "And we've been doing things well with the modernization, but it's also clear that this old airport needs lots of attention and air traffic control is a big part of the picture."
The investigation is continuing and a final report is expected to come out in the next few months.
Thursday, May 16 2013 9:49 PM EDT2013-05-17 01:49:53 GMT
Mayor Emanuel will celebrate two years in office by unveiling "Elevate Chicago" on Thursday, a series of construction projects to improve Navy Pier and McCormick Place.
Mayor Emanuel will celebrate two years in office by unveiling "Elevate Chicago" on Thursday, a series of construction projects to improve Navy Pier and McCormick Place.
Friday, May 17 2013 10:37 PM EDT2013-05-18 02:37:06 GMT
On Friday, the current Chicago Teacher's Union President Karen Lewis announced that she has been re-elected and says she won with 80 percent of the vote.
On Friday, the current Chicago Teacher's Union President Karen Lewis announced that she has been re-elected and says she won with 80 percent of the vote.
