FAA managers that let workers nap will simply be moved to other positions

(It was concluded that it would be safer to simply allow
a flock of sparrows to land the plane instead of FAA employees... jk.)

The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday replaced three high-level managers in the nation's air traffic control system following embarrassing incidents of controllers sleeping on the job and making potentially dangerous mistakes.

In a shake-up of the system, new managers were appointed to key positions that oversee the operation of airport towers and regional radar centers that handle planes flying at high altitudes as well as approaches and departures, the agency said in a statement. A new manager was also appointed to run a regional radar center near Cleveland. The previous managers are being reassigned.

The performance of mid-level managers is also being reassessed, the FAA said. And teams of experts are examining several of the agency's more complex facilities, including the Cleveland center and one on Long Island in New York, to ensure agency policies are being followed and professional standards upheld.

"This sends a powerful message, and it's the right message," said Gregory McGuirk, an associate professor of air traffic management at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla. "It's one way to shake up the culture."

But Missy Cummings, an associate professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said shuffling managers doesn't get at the root cause of many of the incidents. (read more)