Editorial: FAA needs security, backup plans fixed
Let the Monday morning quarterbacking commence.
Illinois Sens. Dick Durbin and Mark Kirk and other members of the Illinois congressional delegation have called for investigations into the circumstances surrounding the suicide attempt and fire at the Chicago Center air-traffic control facility in Aurora that resulted in a massive shutdown of air traffic throughout the country.
More than 3,700 flights were canceled at O'Hare and Midway airports in Chicago between Friday and Monday. All those passengers likely have the same questions we have.
Why did no one notice Naperville resident Brian Howard, a telecommunications contract employee, wheeling in luggage early Friday morning?
How was he allowed to enter the basement alone and unnoticed, where the critical telecommunications room is located and set fire to it?
Did the FAA ignore a report from the late 1990s that might have led to tightened security at the Aurora facility?
Why are the current contingency plans ineffective?
Are there other security concerns not addressed that could lead to similar shutdowns by the hands of one person?
The ease in which an apparently troubled contract employee could negatively affect air traffic in such a massive way is shocking. A full vetting of the issues surrounding the shutdown is warranted.
"The American people deserve to know ... why there wasn't an automatic fail-safe process in place, so that another Midwest facility could immediately take over Chicago traffic," said U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley of Chicago, who wants congressional hearings on the issue.
Added Kirk, "We need to see immediate changes at the Chicago Air Route Traffic Control Center in Aurora to reaffirm the leadership of Chicago O'Hare as the world's busiest airport."
Durbin and other congressmen are seeking independent government investigations as well.
Meanwhile, we applaud the hard work that is being done by employees in Aurora and elsewhere to get things back to normal in the wake of the fire.
But with two more weeks before repairs are finished, it's clear that FAA Administrator Michael Huerta has much to answer for and much work to do if he hopes to win back the confidence of the public.
Clearly Huerta dropped the ball and so we are skeptical he'll be successful. But we also are hopeful the security breaches and other issues will be tightened up in short order.
"Over the next 30 days, (FAA and employee groups) will take a look at our plans to make sure we are prepared to both assure the safety of aircraft but also the efficiency of the system," Huerta said.