Air incident adds stress between controllers, FAA

>An incident last week involving planes near Midway International Airport flying closer than safety standards allow brought out continuing friction between air traffic controllers and the Federal Aviation Administration.

At about 8 a.m. March 13, an American Trans Air 737 came within 4.3 miles of another airliner southwest of Joliet. Planes are required to be separated by at least five miles.

The FAA Wednesday called the incident a minor traffic controller error and pointed out both planes were headed in opposite directions.

But officials with the union representing workers at the Chicago Center air traffic control center in Aurora, which monitored the flights, characterized the occurrence as a safety problem caused by inadequate staffing.