Second Ground Stop in Chicago Due to Inadequate Technician Staffing
- Details
- 16 Jul
Just days after telling lawmakers about the acute shortage of certified technicians at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), David Spero, national president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, AFL-CIO (PASS), received word this weekend of another ground stop in the Chicago area because of an equipment failure and no technician on site to fix it.
During the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Aviation Subcommittee hearing on Eliminating Bottlenecks: Examining Opportunities to Recruit, Retain, and Engage Aviation Talent, on July 12, President Spero was asked by Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García (D-Ill.) about a ground stop in Chicago earlier this summer that was caused by an issue with a radar system. There was no technician on site with the requisite skills to fix the issue quickly so a brief ground stop was needed until an off-duty technician with that skillset could arrive. President Spero made it clear that the problem would have been resolved immediately if the agency had the right number of people with the right training in place.
“And six weeks later, it has happened again in Chicago,” said Spero. “Just like the earlier incident, the lack of adequate staffing directly led to this incident.” On Sunday, July 14, a ground stop was ordered at O’Hare International Airport at 12:38 pm ET because of a 5 volt-power supply failure in the Airport Surface Detection Equipment, Model X (ASDE-X). According to the FAA, ASDE-X is a surveillance system using radar, multilateration and satellite technology that allows air traffic controllers to track surface movement of aircraft and vehicles. While the failure cleared within seconds, it required technician intervention to return it to service. And there was no ASDE-X certified technician on duty at the time to do so.