FAA Suspends Second Air Controller

CFNews13: Federal aviation officials have suspended a Florida air traffic controller following an incident in which two planes came too close together.

The suspension is the second in a week involving an air traffic controller. An air traffic supervisor working as a controller at Reagan National airport was suspended for falling asleep on duty while two planes landed without assistance.

The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement Tuesday that a controller at a regional radar facility in central Florida asked for help from the pilots of a Southwest Airlines flight in determining the status of a private plane that had been out of radio contact for an hour.

As a result of the request, the planes came too close together - a violation of FAA regulations.