Democratic
lawmakers are demanding an investigation into the practice of allowing
air-traffic controllers to work two shifts in 24 hours, a practice denounced
by sleep experts.
The shift option, in place for years, is an issue after
it was revealed that a controller who cleared a regional jet for takeoff
Sunday in Lexington said he had two hours of sleep between eight-hour
shifts.
The
controller turned away from Comair Flight 5191 to perform other duties
and did not notice that the pilots entered a closed runway that was
too short for takeoff. The CRJ-100 jet slammed into trees and burned,
killing 49 of the 50 people aboard.
The controller had worked
from 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, taken a nine-hour break and returned to
work for another shift starting at 11:30 p.m., according to the National
Transportation Safety Board. The accident occurred shortly after 6
a.m. near the end of the shift.
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