Air Traffic Controllers Asleep on the Job

When air traffic controllers fall asleep on the job, pilots are forced to land blind.
From: TERROR IN THE SKIES: Small Mistakes
bit.ly/Uyk3Xu

[@luckym8497]

If you have just one guy and he has a medical emergency what is supposed to happen??? Problem is the lack of staff.

[@melisbas5049]

Lucky M This comment should be higher up!

[@NippyMoto]

Problem is lack of people who are willing to become ATC. It is quite easily the most stressful job on earth.

[@216-i6p]

@@NippyMoto the pay gets enough people applying

[@chocomanger6873]

It would make sense to have two people, but then who pays? If you're a small airport you might not be able to fork over an extra 50 grand a year or whatever it costs, so your only choice would be to close at night. A lot of airport do just that. They close and then it's up to the pilots to communicate with each other to take turns taking off and landing.

[@DannyOvox3]

Nobody wants to do it

[@peddlersclan]

Imagine you feel asleep at work once and at least 1.5 million people know

[@foundationforbuilding-scar2060]

😶

[@Graff-zr3tn]

How many times have you fell asleep at work, fry?

[@h0danishtifow519]

Coz u hve taken responsibilities of many lives

[@ventz_dark9601]

Lol

[@Youssef-iq4wq]

Sad traffic controller noise

[@shewins3775]

The fact that he “fashioned a bed”, meant that he planned to be out for a while

[@militaryjunkie6207]

Yeah it really messes with our sleep if they rotate shifts and take breaks

[@militaryjunkie6207]

• FBI • Well I hope you know my comment was a joke, go to Harvard with you’re paragraph.

[@samuraishogun9863]

Just a nap Jerry 7 years later I'm up what the f*ck Ww3 started 😴😴😎😎😎

[@samuraishogun9863]

I wonder if it's hard being a air traffic controller in England

[@voiceluckan]

Dude wasn’t planning to return anytime soon

[@cambellcameron]

Actually happens more often than you think. There needs to be more laws for people who work so many hours in such an important position.

[@kille78]

Not anymore it doesn't. atc workers are required to take breaks every 2 hours now and there has to be no less than 2 people in the tower at any time

[@sydneyw4282]

Exactly.

[@richardrodrigues783]

H Flores That is the HMO's squeezing every bit of energy from the doctors to fulfill their quotas.

[@lostn65]

or make it so you don't have rotating shifts. One person always gets morning shift, another always gets evening and another always gets graveyard. It ensures that the guy working at 3 AM is able to get his body used to that time always. Rotating shifts wreak havoc on people trying to live a normal life and being as alert as possible on the job. If 3 people have to rotate shifts, have them each permanently stick to one shift and the end result is still the same, but their bodies are used to the hours they work.

[@liciasasmrvibes2192]

AstronomyToday ttasSTstZrzssrsszdas55(....;.24..zzzrywStftdfa;5tz,.zuhcxz

[@mvn3949]

Why is there only 1 person in that air traffic control room? There should be couple of them or at least 3 as a backup.

[@adamhale6672]

+MV N It's just a small airport. I live in knoxville and the regular flight schedule normally has less than 35-40 flights per day. When you have only 2-3 scheduled flights for a night shift you don't necessarily need a full control staff. Granted, this shouldn't be able to happen!

[@annettegroat4287]

I live in Reno and it is an extremely small airport

[@emilianakhoe338]

its have 2

[@aviationdylan3353]

+Adam Hale me too

[@kewkabe]

Can we increase your taxes to pay for the three sitting around doing nothing while one works?

[@Petr75661]

Planes should have a big red button that would cause a loud siren to sound in the tower.

[@perlamiseriaccia]

i would press it just for fun ahhahahaha

[@beastkaybyt2865]

jednoucelovy well yh they should have a safety button that lights up the plane to make it so they can see the runway infront of them

[@TheBreadBasketOfficialOfficial]

jednoucelovy and vice versa

[@levidaniel6140]

they do have landing lights like headlights it helps atc and other aircraft see them and also lights up the runway right infront of them. usually the plane would line up and descend onto the runway by it self and the pilot would takeover 500 ft above ground

[@cloroxbleach1640]

Smh

[@yc_030]

It took 5 hours to have someone check on the air traffic controller?

[@tanvirsingh5506]

YungChip030 every minute there’s an airplane landing something like that and you need to guide the aircraft’s to the gates to so they don’t have time

[@jakobhehirmusic6340]

Tyson is an international....

[@dp8178]

I know right? What if he had a medical emergency, they should’ve sent someone within minutes of not being able to contact him... How long would’ve it taken them to send a security guard to check on him or something...

[@jcjcjunk1881]

@@justinfromohio4197 if it's a small airport theirs not much airport personnel in general

[@berndarndt9924]

@@jcjcjunk1881 In every factory in germany you always need somebody else to be in the same working place that you, otherwise you are not allowed to work bc its unsafe. This is a radio tower for an airport. If they don´t have enough flight controller than they atleast should pay secruity to cheack on staff.

[@conorcorrigan765]

On most modern airliners, there's a built in alarm that goes off if the pilots haven't touched the controls in a set period of time. First you get a visual warning that says "pilot response" on the main panel, and all you have to do to get rid of it is to touch basically any control anywhere in the cockpit. If you don't do that, after a little while, you get a second "pilot response" warning, this time in flashing text. If you STILL don't respond, it triggers a beeping alarm in the cockpit which is loud enough to either wake the pilots up, or be heard outside the cockpit to basically let people know that no one is flying the airplane. This sounds like the sort of thing that could work for air traffic controllers too...

[@mute3189]

That sounds like a great idea!

[@planesairbornebymalikclark2806]

Conor Corrigan well that's just the triple 7 and later Boeing models

[@xuploads]

it's definitely a good idea, although i feel like it would be pretty unlikely that both the captain and the FO would fall asleep at the same time

[@kinai01]

Sounds like the Tesla Autopilot has a few things in common with the real autopilot.

[@Island_Line_Rail_Productions]

same thing as an alerter on a locomotive. after 30 seconds it no control input or horn/bell or other, it will start beeping loudly for (I think) 30 seconds or so. then if still no imput, it will dump the air, putting the train into a emergency brake application

[@opie773]

Treat it as an uncontrolled airport, announce your intentions, position and land

[@thoomin6680]

opie773 yea true

[@chicago90278]

but it's tower, not Unicom/traffic frequencies

[@xwhels]

opie773 they could have other frequencies for tower so you could hit someone on another frequency

[@edfromchowderheads1312]

opie773 it's not a Unicom frequency.

[@opie773]

I realize it is a controlled airport, but the tower could've be experiencing radio issues like we do occasionally when we fly. Still good practice to announce position and intentions.

[@YankeeTM]

Stop giving rotating shifts. That messes with our sleep

[@SM-1010]

Are u an ATC?

[@beojack4592]

I think the problem is the over all shortage of atcs. If there were a lot of ATCs and airports didnt have any problem scheduling them, there probably would be no rotating schedule. A rotating schedule is a sign that a work unit is not employing enough people to have fill ins for absenses or temporary staffing shortages without tapping people for additional shifts.

[@rspoleschuk8132]

@@beojack4592 It's very hard to get in to it especially in Europe where ATC shortages are very well know witch is why the airspace is so strictly limited with slots. The testing phase and everything is very hard and only a few get selected, on top of all of that it's a very stressfull job witch is why they rotate shifts, a controller might be controlling 1Hour at a time in Europe ( Not 100% sure but in I know in Europe it's very strickt and thers always at least a nother person in the room Supervising all the controllers) . There are even different levels of controlling and in some countrys like USA for example might start out in smaller class C airspace and Airports. In Europe thats not always possible where you will be controlling large sums of traffic on your first day. You are usually supervised for a long time ( Don't remember exactly how long but i belive it was a month or more). The job isn't very appealing for some people especially when you work most of your career in a box looking at a radar screen unlike on the Tower witch only a handfull will get. You are liable for every action witch could cause the death of many people. Luckely nowadays you have computers witch lower the work factor by A LOT. All the Slots (Flight Files) across europe is controlled in Brussel where they decide when a plane can take off and what airspace it may fly through ( Airpspace have capasity, france is well know for it's problems and lower capacity because of the lack of staff, even i have been delayed, because the french just don't have enought controllers)

[@XBOXSUCHTI34]

So 1 guy should do night shift all year long cause u dont like rotatinf shifts?

[@beojack4592]

Yes exactly, people should be permanently and regularly assigned to nights. Rotating shifts are a terrible idea for any job that requires well rested and attentive people to work at night. When I used to work answering emergency calls, I worked exclusively at night, long term. Medical personnel and police who work nights are on nights shifts, long term, and only work other shifts if there is some staffing irregularities or unusual increase in service demands. It is very important that people be able to have a regular sleep cycle, even if it is a nocturnal one, that isnt upset by an irregular shift rotation. Irregular scheduling is fine in something like a restaurant, which experiences sudden changes in staffing levels and where employees rarely have fixed schedules. But in something like ATC, or other important night work, a more permanent and settled scheduling arrangement is much better.

[@TrillMatic187]

Imagine thinking “yeah imma just close my eyes for a few minutes” and you wake up to 300 people dead because you didn’t guide an airplane to safety.

[@PlanetXtreme]

There has to be some negligence charges attached to that, AT LEAST.

[@malvin3197]

@dusty bowman Yep! Plus I would assume at that point, It will probably smart for the pilots to treat it as if it was a uncontrolled airport and radio the frequency for other planes in frequency for awareness.

[@Zraupp10]

they need FIXED hours, being FLEX has a MAJOR health and safety problems

[@hassanmazza1831]

They still get ample time to rest in-between those shifts.

[@kingdom25]

Hassan Mazza Not how sleep schedule or cycles work

[@daviderhahon]

I personally prefer the flexed shifts.

[@Zraupp10]

@@daviderhahon so you enjoy working day shift and then night shift and then day shift right after that ?

[@daviderhahon]

@@Zraupp10 There ought to be some break in between day and night shift changes. At least, a 36-hr break

[@watertriton]

Many airports do not have a air traffic controller after hours. and in general they are not necessary unless it is a large busy Airport.

[@darionwilliams1783]

Greg Walker I would disagree with you here. Air traffic controls are needed at all airports that can't equip aircrafts. Air traffic only slows down in the morning between 12-6 am that's normally when this heavies are crossing the Atlantic Ocean

[@ianrees5909]

Greg Walker no excuse to sleep on the job

[@yxucef6947]

One of them are Heathrow, which i went there.

[@johnjriggsarchery2457]

That's an airliner, not a Cesna.

[@jackgibsxxx0750]

In the US at a "commercial" airport you MUST by law have the tower maned (and have fire\crash maned) when the airport is open. (And most US commercial airports are open 24\7 unless snow\fog or something else causes them to cease ops)

[@joshthomas768]

See you all in 10 years when the KZbin algorithm calls us back here.

[@sicksadworld765]

Hello there

[@stevenfoster9402]

What if I want to see you again before then

[@sornevolution2263]

ahahahahahahahahahahahaha you got me on that one

[@randomdumbass7231]

See ya

[@jake9694]

Hi

[@SarahDigsHockey]

Falling asleep is one thing, but using sofa cushions and a blanket with the intent of going to sleep is in inexcusable.

[@iamsandhu8664]

Still you can't justify rotating shifts of *ucking 16 hours

[@menosbbgirl]

0:03 I’m amazed at how close the airplanes are to each other as they land. I cannot imagine the amount of responsibility and stress ATC has! I salute them and thank them for keeping all of us safe as we fly.

[@TheOfficialCzex]

That one guy had the most stressful five hours of all time.

[@eduardog.465]

Rotating shifts sucks big time feel sorry for those Air Controllers.

[@nunyabuizness2953]

Better off with three shifts that way people have more consistent sleep schedules.

[@havenzhai5187]

Nurses do it all the time and they are not falling asleep

[@Synthwave89]

@@havenzhai5187 actually they are. One of the nurses "talking care" of my grandfather on the night shift went to sleep and got really mad whenever my grandpa needed help. I've also witnessed elderly patients getting ignored for hours when they had no one staying with them at night. They need to put stable schedules so workers don't have their sleep schedule destroyed and things like these to happen. But it's ok, the hospital owners need their profits.

[@havenzhai5187]

@@Synthwave89 Are you talking about nursing home nurses falling asleep?

[@TheDazzler420]

@@Synthwave89 nurses have course, ATC is more focused job and you don't get to move much.

[@tezzingtonsir28]

Why would they only have 1 person in the radar room. What if he fell ill, had a heart attack or something? Idoicy at its best

[@axelband1770]

Capitalism at its finest...profits over lives

[@jimziemer474]

Or, even just needs to use the restroom.

[@cashewnuttel9054]

@@axelband1770 If communism ruled the ward, these problems would not exist.

[@TwistedCantQuickscope]

@@cashewnuttel9054 communist things

[@adilmuneer3135]

There should be 2 or more than 2 people and shift should not be circulating...if the duty is for night time it should be the night time always...so person can make a routine and sleep accordingly.

[@LegitimateJuice]

Adil Muneer did you watch the whole vid or nah

[@ruatachhangte]

@@LegitimateJuice you clearly did not understand him

[@Synthwave89]

Exactly. It's not rocket science. But it's all about the money, making those green$$$$

[@Cian_]

Absolutely disgraceful it was 5 hours before they checked on him. What if he had a heart attack?

[@TheCrustyFry]

Then I’d guess he’d be well expired by then

[@tgyhjdfgh]

After watching this video, I'm tired now too

[@mucheq5386]

TGYHJ DFGH same

[@bluemarshall6180]

TGYHJ DFGH Rock a by baby on the tree top.... La la lalala..... 😴

[@junioraviator4325]

Don't know why but me too!

[@AyrtonGomesz]

Can relate

[@watsappenin2865]

It made me think of all the hard nights work I have done and the times I felt super sleepy, bringing me sleepy vibes lol

[@josepheischen2823]

I thought this was a air force proud 95 video

[@chryssemansmilanes7304]

This cracks me up 😆

[@panfrypanda475]

Same here

[@ryanhopf8324]

Probably is/will be

[@draydengee9060]

Same here lol

[@tubeweeklycrunch3204]

Joseph Eischen same

[@calfeggs]

An ATC's job is extremely taxing on the mind, it must be very difficult to stay alert in those jobs for 8 hours or more.

[@KingInky13]

ATCs are required to take a half hour break every 2 hours for that exact reason.

[@airplanegod]

Yet every other industry manages. Why can't these government stooges?

[@TheTrueAdept]

@@airplanegod because it is far harder on you than you think. Being an ATC requires you to track anywhere from several to dozens of aircraft at any time, on a radar screen, for hours on end while giving commands to all of them. The mental capabilities required to do this effortlessly is incredibly rare.

[@JR-kv6ez]

@@TheTrueAdept it's not as hectic as you think. you will often go for stretches of 1-2 hours of doing nothing esp if you work at a smaller airport.

[@shawntw1556]

Props to the ATC who handled both jobs for several hours because one guy fell asleep. That man deserves a raise after that.

[@CoolSmoovie]

You know that feeling when you accidentally fall asleep and miss something important? Imagine that feeling when you have a super important job and getting woken up by a co-worker since you’ve caused such a huge scene.

[@DementedButtHole]

Instructions not clear. Plane fell asleep!

[@mistertagnan]

Lol

[@mercuryariesstardust]

Aircraft is diving MAYDAY BRACE BRACE BRACE

[@lohes]

Foxchu that’s not funny

[@cloudyboi2652]

Lol

[@coconutjam6013]

@@lohes lel no one cares

[@zerotoinfinite2006]

The best way of rotation is to give them a long leave. Ex: 5 weeks day shift , 1 week paid holiday and then 5 week night shift. This could help people to change their schedule accordingly. Don't expect people to change shift regularly too, it may impact their health, concentration and eventually can cause accidents.

[@jabloko992]

Why would they rotate people around to do shifts 16 hours later? How does that make sense? Have 1 bunch of guys doing nights, another doing days.

[@Synthwave89]

Money 💰

[@j.a.3138]

they get paid a lot. so having many people working is the last thing they wanna do

[@putnamehere3803]

This actually happened to me I was playing unmatched air traffic control and i fell asleep

[@amydelta6455]

im memes LOL I did that too 🙃🙃🙃🙃😂😂😂😂😂🤣🤣😅😅😅👍👍

[@extremebro3557]

2:10 that music in BuzzFeed unsolved mysteries

[@kyledelrosario8963]

Anyone know what's the title?

[@extremebro3557]

@@kyledelrosario8963 which title are u talking about?

[@kyledelrosario8963]

@@extremebro3557 the title of the suspense music

[@SimulatorsStudio]

@@kyledelrosario8963 Do you know the name?

[@sukhoi3572]

3:05 TCAS: Am I a joke to you? Go Arounds: Am I a joke to you? Anti-collision lights: Am I a joke to you?

[@53bigmikejones]

I hope they fired these controllers who fell asleep. Puts the flying public in danger.

[@kewkabe]

No, I'm a controller and ATC is one of about six layers of redundancy in a system that is designed for individual failures. You would need all layers to simultaneously and independently fail for there to be an actual incident (which is why we have so few accidents per year compared to how many flights there are). Whether the controller falls asleep, or their radios fail, or their headset wire is frayed and they don't notice it on the quiet midnight shift, there are procedures to deal with it safely. The overlying controller (approach control) ensures there are no other pending arrivals or departures, the pilot announces their position on frequency multiple times just in case there are, and the pilot ensures visually the runway is clear before they land. The controller should be reprimanded and should have known how to stay awake, but it's difficult the way the rotating shifts work and he/she is only human. The way they rotate is you sleep normal nighttime 6 days a week, then on the 7th day you both have to work all day (such as 6am-2pm) then come back and work all night (10pm-6am) during the period you are normally sleeping. Couple that with the lack of any kind of stimulation (there are almost no aircraft in the middle of the night), it can get tough to stay awake. The FAA can't permanently assign controllers to straight midnight shifts because the lack of traffic atrophies their skills, so they're kind of stuck with this rotating shift idea. Pilots can have it even worse. That's why the system is designed to accommodate the occasional failures.

[@o0prince]

Sleepiness is human nature. The company overworked the ATC and its at the company fault.

[@Hawktotalwar]

Blame the company for putting someone 15 hours of work

[@ibraveheart5700]

This coming from a guy who's most likely not a ATC and has not the slightest idea of the amount of stress that comes with that job. Grate thinking their bud. Not to mention the amount of money that's spent on training and the fact that there's not a lot of people trained in ATC because 1. The cost of training and 2. there's not a lot of people that can handle that amount of responsibility.

[@YandereLife]

first see what they have to go trough and then complain

[@saukraya3254]

They should build a dead man switch, the operator have to manually press a button to switch off hourly alarms.

[@danielabel5066]

Its funny how they are using the LAX tower in there shots ! Spot the air new Zealand tail.

[@adamhale6672]

+Daniel Abel I thought the same thing! I live near Mcghee Tyson and the first thing I said was "wow definitely can't remember the last time a New Zealand 777 landed here"

[@chocolatcats]

I admire and respect all (except that one guy who slept) air traffic controllers and pilots and flight attendants for all they do

[@user-oq7ge9lr4j]

recommended 5 years later. Not disappointed though. Interesting video

[@doogleticker5183]

You have to experience this biological effect. I remember standing watch on the bridge of a naval warship...a ton of responsibility (lives, the warship)...during the "mids"...between midnight to 4 AM...and this one time, I recall I was so tired, I was a zombie because of the exercises the day before. I desperately needed some rack time, but that is never a consideration in the Navy. So I stood my watch, with a lot of coffee, and the support of my shipmates who ensured I was actually awake and aware of the vessels on the radar. Bless those men who kicked my semi-asleep ass into action.

[@Sivitzie]

there should be a coffee machine in that tower

[@Believer1995ofGod]

having one dude to guide the entire airport traffic sounds like a recipe for disaster. what if the dude has to use the bathroom?

[@eddie-4468]

Worked 3 years doing night work in a factory. Those were some of the worst days of my life. Not as bad as working rotational shifts being fully awake at all times and working 16 hr shifts. I would never do a job like that though.

[@aidanmcrae8350]

Why are they showing pictures of London Heathrow when they are talking about airports in America?

[@deprogramm]

Pesopeso 99 using stock footage

[@RepresentWV]

nothing gets past you buddy

[@botcheek482]

@@RepresentWV not even those spermies fighting to the eggs lol

[@Daniel-0093]

Pesopeso 99 backyard trickshots

[@jawaheralanezi9656]

I guess they are In **AIR- Trouble** Hah.

[@LegitimateJuice]

Louis xXoO what’s the joke?

[@Zeckmon3]

*Dab* Btw ^ woosh to this guy above me :P ^

[@jawaheralanezi9656]

LegitimateJuice Air trouble= In trouble I’m sorry I’m just really board XD.

[@juliezaremskiy3635]

Those rotating shifts sounds insane. Inconsistency in scheduling will burn someone out real quick

[@fancykat9940]

0:30 the plane pitches up really quickly to 25 degrees even though the yoke isnt pulled back 2:17 the plane is at a 35 degree pitch and the same clip from before is used showing the plane pitching up to 25 degrees

[@EnDSchultz1]

And a simultaneous 4000fpm descent below 1000ft! Are the b-roll pilots doing deep stall training or something?!

[@aviaidan9959]

0:30 Quite an excessive climb

[@zed4643]

1:35 Buzzfeed Unsolved music 👀

[@k.7544]

Yes! I was looking for someone else to notice as well!

[@MysticMoon96]

lol

[@izumikihayuka2565]

oh my god I'm so happy that someone finally pronounced Nevada in the correct manner. Thank you!

[@CAG2]

Why did the pilot pitch up over 20 degrees and the "AUTOBRAKE DISARM" light is illuminated when he hasn't landed yet...?

[@spencerkurth3490]

I think it is because the editing crew for this video just used random footage...

[@CAG2]

Spencer Kurth yep #dedication

[@calfeggs]

They're also probably not actual pilots, probably actors in a rented simulator.

[@MotownWes]

I like how the dude made a little bed for himself out of couch cushions and a blanket. How did he think this was going to end for him? 😆🤦🏻‍♂️

[@famousdominion444]

How can controllers do such a great mistake, may God have mercy on you people.

[@chocomanger6873]

God have mercy on you too.

[@x23esports22]

Thats cause you haven't exoericenced NIGHT SHIFTS AT MIND INTENSE JOBS.... You would try even to put a knife through your stomach to stay awake but even that would be of no use

[@ripplegaming7393]

I also don't think it's the controller fault. Sound like bad shift managerment.

[@TXnine7nine]

So it wasn’t just a guy who accidentally fell asleep in his seat but went out of his way to fashion a bed out of cushions? Wow.

[@j.a.3138]

that guy was not planning to return to work for sure

[@zachariharachel250]

Possibly have additional phone numbers available for others that are able to get to the tower in sufficient time. Lives are at stake. Also set schedules that make it feasible for all involved. Is there a back up plan?

[@Shaheer4771]

7 years ago

[@shahzaibahmed.]

I hope the air traffic controller who helped the planes land got a pay rise or something like that he saved so many peoples life’s

[@airplanegod]

Nope, they need to be fired and homeless. Lazy government stooges.

[@baddek14]

@@airplanegod except the industry already has a shortage in those kind of jobs and hopefully fire them

[@kariyu7332]

LoL as if having only 1 person in charge of such important duty was ever a good idea to begin with. Not only falling asleep but what if they get heart attack or stomachache.

[@treasuretrails]

Messed up making them go from day to night sleep patterns you gotta stick to one or another or this happens!

[@Pvt_soap_]

Changing shifts and having to stay up at night like it’s mid day. And then next week completely switch. You wonder why being an air traffic controller is stressful and is among the top spots for most suicide rates.

[@copkhan007]

Just like you have airports with pilot controlled runway lights, I would invent a Pilot control zapper bracelet and all controllers would be required to wear it. in the event the controller does not answer all pilots would start zapping him until they are safely on the ground.

[@pineapplecastella2584]

What 😂

[@sandiprai2820]

Also Cc cameras should be put on the tower and need to be monitored at the same time

[@adammirza660]

Imagine unknown pilot slaps you at the top tower

[@ludaMerlin69]

It's all about proper management. Air Traffic controllers are human, not robots. I believe the industry has taken steps in the right direction, but it is seemingly only ever able to learn from mistakes.

[@tyler5105]

To be honest he should’ve high pitched so they would’ve woken up

[@pauldavis5665]

Airtraffic controller: "I'm tired. y'all on your own"

[@Gryflir]

not enough coffee... not enough coffee... not enough coffee....

[@Tinskap]

This solo ATC is a true mvp, Dude better have gotten a raise after pulling that off.

[@Lioness_Es]

My God how dangerous! Imagine if two planes had struck each other and the person(s) responsible was asleep?!

[@crimsonwolfdragonsatsuna3322]

Lioness Es that’s happened before where two planes we’re using the same exact Runaway for takeoff and they couldn’t stop in time and nobody survived except for the two Airplane pilots

[@EternalShadow72]

@@crimsonwolfdragonsatsuna3322 how tf did the pilots survive

[@charonsferryold]

Ha, in my hometown nobody ever shows up to man the control tower, and all traffic is a giant trust exercise.

[@daviderhahon]

Having at least two ATCs in the night shift is something that should have been done a long time ago. I consider it a high risk zone. Whatever happens to one, the other is a backup. Wait, why do aircrafts have two pilots?

[@kenclark9888]

Oakland Center is the center for that area. The facility in Sacramento is NORCAL Approach. You’d think the Smithsonian would know the difference

[@becca53444]

There's no way I could fall asleep knowing people could die if I don't do my job. That would keep me wide awake from anxiety the whole shift.

[@hassanmazza1831]

He must have been on the verge of collapsion

[@jimziemer474]

Easy to say. I think there is a point where you are so tired that you fall asleep.

[@nickshelton8423]

I could understand passing out from exhaustion while working a little bit but making a bed and taking a nap is absolutely ridiculous.

[@turq_bladez2016]

Reno and Sacremento I have been to both

[@daaaaaaaaan]

This is why in my country, there is always a supervisor together with the controllers.

[@mohammedzulk8485]

There should be an emergency backup communication system.

[@chocomanger6873]

There is. That's why the guy was able to talk to Sacremento.

[@bonzoschlacendaker1057]

I'm aghast! In my youth I had a normal body clock, then I work for approximately 5 years as a chauffeur three and a half of those for a livery and the balance for a family. The first three and a half destroyed my body clock, to this day I can't tell you the time of day nor date without a watch on in a windowless environment. Sleeping, is battle and that's the damage just from driving. The attention and precision that is required in the aviation industry has no margin for this kind of tomfoolery. Rotating shifts, REALLY? Why on Earth? Let someone get their body clock set to the hours and keep it that way. To this day I'm a third shift person in a first shift world. I have to try and confirm my sleep to everyone else's schedule. ATC really needs some stability in their hours of service and avoid this kind of potentially disasterous behavior.

[@MikeRen1995]

Thank god that plane made it safely my heart was racing boaa. I was hoping that plane didn’t crash into someone else

[@purejade5268]

CT: Sorry pilot,I'm stressed and tired. My boss was a dumb. Pilot: Owh.. Ok.

[@re4zoon]

I work in 12 hour shifts keeping aviation services (servers, applications) online. Without our work there would be no plane taking off (not joking) from a lot of companies. We are controlling over 12000 servers, so trust me, if we can keep awake and do our job then they can too. Also, not to mention, 2 day in dayshift, 2 in night and then 2 freeday, sometimes scrambled like hell. Yes, we get tired, yes, even we struggle with coffee sometimes, but still. Can't believe people thinks shifts are unbearable (doing it for my second year now).

[@SidestickPilot]

Mátyás Szombathy you will never have to deal with the workload of a controller whether it’s Center, approach, or ground/tower they all are juggling airplanes constantly. Download LiveATC and listen to the SoCal, or New York areas when it gets busy and you’ll truly understand what they go through.

[@Cocoboi7]

This is what happens if you put coffee expenses upon the employee's payroll , hehe

[@Sajjad_Animations]

Instructions unclear : plane went up my nose

[@theorose9802]

Cool effect at 1:16. Also the music at 1:35 is the same as buzzfeed unsolved

[@copyth5748]

Imagine hot boxing a control tower🤔

[@LineofBorax]

Now that’s an idea

[@JohnnyAngel8]

Rotating schedules have been studied and results show how bad it is for people's health. Doctors and nurses also suffer greatly from shift rotation. The practice really should stop.

[@robj362]

Give that controller who landed em all a huuuuge raise

[@krob1957]

Worked twenty years as a controller in Atlanta center. Never fell asleep when I was plugged in. You simply cannot do that. It's a job requirement.

[@ChrisCokeRobinson]

That moment youre asleep dreaming away in the tower.. and somebody wakes you up.. and youre so shocked you quickly try to fix the unfixable..and then it hits you... #youdonefuckedupBIGTIME

[@isaaccool3183]

Christopher Coke Robinson it was at this moment you realize you fucked up

[@Shaheer4771]

6 years ago

[@Shaheer4771]

@@isaaccool3183 3 years ago

[@isaaccool3183]

@@Shaheer4771 2 hours ago

[@Shaheer4771]

@@isaaccool3183 lol ur still active?

[@jogzyg2036]

I mean dosing off unintentionally I understand but making a makeshift bed is a whole different thing 😂😂😂

[@MegaMech]

I feel like the ATC's acted kind of slow in this situation. (I'm not a professional at all) If I was ground and the tower wasn't answering wouldn't that be an emergency? The tower is there for safety, and if he's not responding what if he had a heart attack? (Or just fell asleep) Seems to me the police should be called to check it out or the airport's boss/chief. There must be some kind of fallback.

[@apromero911]

+MegaMech your statement kind of blurs together so Im not sure where one thought ends and the other begins but a non-responsive tower does not create an emergency situation for the pilots in the air. Airplanes take off from non-towered airports with and without a radio all the time; in fact, many airports with a tower also convert to "non-towered" airports after hours as the airport may be busy enough to warrant a tower, but not 24/7 staffing. From the second perspective though, there absolutely is cause for concern in that a non-responsive tower on the ground could, as you indicated, be an emergency situation for people on the ground since its possible the controller slipped and fell and is unconscious or unable to move due to injury, had a stroke or as you indicated a heart attack or other sudden onset medical issue without anyone's knowledge. So I do agree they should have been more interested in checking it out but it does not necessarily cause a emergency

[@MegaMech]

apr911 Why would it be an emergency for the airplanes that would make no sense. Of course that's not what I meant. I mean 911 should have been called. That sleeping tower is effecting people's safety and the ground controller cannot leave the station. It only makes sense that something should have been done. If it's a big enough airport it will have security, A guard could have gone up and woke the controller. The airport boss person should atleast have been contacted or something.

[@tonysmith7442]

+MegaMech understood. The problem here is the media and the general public. The media sensationalizes the issue (even this video and its description have a sensationalist bent, the descriptions says "forced to land blind" because you know, the tower does so much in helping the pilots see what's out in front of them). The general public not knowing any better buys the sensationalist view and is convinced this is some big huge issue and that planes are incapable of landing without ATC/Tower. If its slow enough at an airport that tower fell asleep, its probably pretty safe to assume that there isn't much other traffic in the vicinity and approach control could confirm that just as easily as tower so really the biggest risk with a sleeping tower really comes out of out of date ATIS information. I suspected that was your view but as I commented, it seemed kind of blurred between where the emergency was in the air or on the ground. Im not trying to make light of the fact the controller fell asleep, its definitely bad and as noted it could have been something far more serious and life threatening for the controller (like a fall, heartattack, etc) so someone should have called 911, security or others to check on the controller but for the plane it doesnt pose a significant risk (otherwise why would the pilot even land and not just divert to an alternate)

[@CaptainArt777]

+MegaMech At the beginning of the video the pilot stated he was trying to contact approach. They are not in the tower in a way most folks assume they are. Tower controls planes on the ground and when they are handed over to them by approach control for landing.

[@xuploads]

at smaller airports both the tower and ground control is handled by one person

[@moodyghannam5156]

I hate rotating shifts. It’s too difficult to keep changing sleep schedule every couple days.

[@akkihole_]

Actually Being Awake at 12:00 PM To 6:00 AM isn't really that hard for me

[@emely3733]

same

[@Jago__]

Coke is hella of a drug huh....

[@dgrdst5810]

Gomez some people cant get enough

[@xuploads]

man i can stay up for 3 days in a row quite easily. the tiredness hits you for a few hours but once you're past that it becomes easy to remain awake. my record is 5 days in a row, that's when it becomes fucked and you start seeing/hearing shit. your body can handle about 3 days max before it starts to shut down.

[@TristanSilverwood]

José you need to be intelligent to be an ATC.

[@lampboi1597]

It’s in Knoxville but the of the airport footage of the control towers is in LAX in the start of the episode, I would know I live in la

[@simonsun9733]

people make mistakes, nobody's perfect

[@dgrdst5810]

Simon Sun u make a mistake people die

[@khalilhasar]

That pilot is awesome

[@z9kaneki82]

There needs to be 10 people in that tower were 5 people need to be awake while 5 people take a break and then they switch

[@shaunlowekey4525]

I didn't know this, glad that this video showed in my time line, very interesting for the public to know these things.

[@speed65752]

Air traffic controller sleep on the job? I could close an eye on the pilot sleeping. They are two and mostly of the things are automatized, but air traffic controller.... He should be jailed or near.

[@muhammadmuazhairman3097]

how the fk do you expect someone to stay awake for 15 hours? Additionally, the poor staff is working alone. The company should be sued

[@bonnie3232]

Can you imagine how angry that pilot was with the ATC asleep?

[@josephdenoyo6537]

the controller should be quitted!

[@M89-u1x]

joseph denoyo 10/10 for words there m8

[@chrispetersonbacon2693]

Ajdndiencoedndj78/10 epic grammar

[@coconutjam6013]

*SPEECH 1B*

[@ashleighvinson5801]

He is a child

[@rmagnussen45]

Been there on those rotation shifts they are hard to get use to especially working alone