NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Veteran controllers, in a series of interviews with NewsChannel 5 Investigates, described conditions inside Nashville’s air traffic control tower as nearing “a breaking point.”
"The airport's busier than it has ever been, yet you're talking about a number of air traffic controllers that's as low as it's ever been,” said Woody Hatchett, who worked as a controller for 12 years.
Shelley Weckler, who spent 10 years in air traffic control, agreed.
“I think just about every controller that you talk to will tell you, ‘Yeah, we're short staffed, we're working six days a week, we're tired,’" Weckler said.
Both Weckler and Hatchett want travelers to know that flying is still incredibly safe, but a shortage of air traffic controllers, both in Nashville and across the US, puts that safety record at risk.
NewsChannel 5 Investigates asked Weckler, “Is the system near a breaking point?"
"I believe that it is – yeah,” she agreed.
The most recent sign of strain on the air traffic control system in Nashville came just last week when a Delta Airlines jet was forced to slam on the brakes during takeoff to avoid a collision with a small plane that had pulled into its path.
It is not clear whether the pilot of the single-engine plane failed to follow directions from controllers as he taxied across the airport – or if controllers failed to properly communicate with the pilot.
Related: Delta Airlines jet forced to make emergency stop to avoid collision at Nashville airport
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it is investigating the incident, which was first reported by NewsChannel 5 Investigates.
Radio traffic from that incident indicates that a controller thanked the Delta flight crew for quickly aborting their takeoff when the tower noticed the potential collision developing.
The controller on the recording referred to it as “an eventful morning.”
“I appreciate the stop there – way to be aware," he said as the crisis was averted.
This was not the first warning sign for Nashville’s busy airport.
Alaska Airlines incident: 'It was very close'
Last September, Alaska Airlines Flight 369 – a Boeing 737-900 with 176 people on board – was preparing to takeoff for Seattle. At the same time, Southwest Airlines Flight 2029 – a Boeing 737-700 with 141 people – was taxiing into position, ready to begin its trip to Jacksonville.
After being cleared for takeoff by a controller, the Alaska jet barreled down the runway, unaware that another controller had cleared the Southwest flight to cross into its path.
Then, suddenly, the Alaska Airlines plane slammed on its brakes.
“Alaska ... abort!" the pilot called out on the radio.
Air traffic control acknowledged the emergency: “Alaska 369, cancel takeoff clearance."
" I think it would be probably quite alarming to people if they knew exactly how close that was,” Weckler said when asked about the incident. "It was very close."
Never-before-seen bodycam and dashcam video shows emergency responders expressing frustration that no one from air traffic control was immediately open to talking about what happened.
All four of the landing gear tires on the Alaska aircraft deflated after the emergency stop, forcing the evacuation of passengers from the disabled plane.
"Did they already get a tail number for that Southwest?" a Metro Nashville Airport Authority officer asked a supervisor.
"I don't know,” the supervisor answered. “They don't want to talk about it."
Bodycam video from one of the officers, obtained through a public records request, shows him approaching the Alaska captain as the pilot inspected the damage to his airliner.
"Would you mind filling out a written statement for me? It's up to you – I mean, it's voluntary," the officer said.
"Not right now – maybe after this is over,” the pilot responded.
While the investigation is continuing, Alaska Airlines says its pilots' quick thinking may have saved the day.
"Scared some people? Absolutely. Way better than the worst-case scenario,” Hatchett observed. “In this case, the safety layer was the pilots of the Alaska flight. They saw something they did not like happening. They stopped."
The video shows passengers expressing appreciation for the flight crew's skillful response.
" Nashville is a prime example of where many safety layers can fail – in the Alaska incident – many safety layers can fail, but you can still not have a negative outcome," Hatchett continued.
Again, Shelley Weckler agreed.
" Controllers are extremely good at what they do. The procedures largely in place, they work," she said.
But that does not mean the system is not under incredible stress.
Controller sounds alarm in anonymous report
According to an anonymous safety report filed back in March, an air traffic controller reported having potentially put two passenger jets on course for a midair collision – without fully comprehending how he or she got into that position.
Among the factors cited were controller fatigue and an excessive workload.
"I recommend more staffing at the facility to open more positions, reduce fatigue and distribute workload,” the controller wrote.
“Six-day work weeks for consecutive years take their toll on the human body, and fatigue can set in without the individuals even recognizing it."
Weckler agreed with that assessment.
"People are stressed out, they're tired. Imagine working six days a week – sometimes eight to 10 hours a day – and working a very stressful job,” she said.
NewsChannel 5 Investigates asked, “Six days a week – week after week after week?"
"Correct – week after week after week,” she answered. “We work every day, weekends, holidays, it doesn't matter. We're there."
On top of that, Hatchett said those controllers are still balancing family responsibilities.
“These people, they're still dads, they're still husbands – and they have to take care of those duties too,” he continued. “But when, you know, you're thinking – ‘Oh, I’ve got to go in for my sixth day tomorrow’ – you don't really have a lot of time to empty the tank."
NewsChannel 5 noted, “It sounds like it's a prescription for burnout."
" Yeah, burnout's a good word to use. You take a really fun job, and you just make it where you don't look forward to going to work anymore," Hatchett said.
Controllers do have the option of calling in sick if they feel they are too fatigued to safely do their jobs – which is something that, for some, may not come easily.
" With controllers, our mindset is a can-do attitude,” Weckler said. “We always want to do everything we can, the best we can. And sometimes it's difficult, truly difficult, to identify when you're not at your peak."
NewsChannel 5 Investigates asked, “Are there ramifications if you call in too often and say, 'I'm really tired?'"
“Yes, there are,” Weckler said. “Management looks at all of that. They want to make sure that you're not abusing that – which is understandable – but at the same time, when you're working six days a week…."
We interrupted, “You're gonna be tired."
"You're gonna be tired," Weckler agreed.
Warning signs
For the nation, one of the harshest wake-up calls about this critical issue came back in January when an Army helicopter crashed into an American Airlines regional jet near Washington, D.C, killing all 67 people aboard.
There were multiple warning signs long before the collision
A 2023 FAA study warned that a shortage of controllers "places additional strain on the system, further eroding the margin of safety and increasing risk."
The most recent FAA data shows a need for 48 controllers at the Nashville tower, but the same report showed only there were only 31 fully trained controllers on staff.
Now, following the midair collision in Washington D.C. and other recent close calls, the Trump administration said it plans to inject billions of dollars into improving the air traffic control system.
But that, too, will take time.
"You can't just take somebody off the street and put them in a chair and say, ‘Hey, be an air traffic controller,’” Hatchett said.
We noted, “It takes years."
"Yeah – and to be really good and really proficient, it takes decades," Hatchett replied.
Weckler added, “If we ramped up hiring and hired even more, we're still looking at five to 10 years down the road."
When asked if this problem can realistically be solved within the next year, Weckler responded, "No, absolutely not."
Both Weckler and Hatchett said that controllers, as much as anyone, want to get travelers to their destinations safely – and they want the flying public to understand that sometimes in order to do that, they are forced to slow down air traffic, which inevitably creates delays.
In those situations, those delays are all about managing limited resources.
In addition to being patient with crews, Weckler and Hatchett hope people will hold politicians' feet to the fire and insist that they do whatever it takes to fix the system – which partly means spending taxpayer money to give them the resources they need.
Do you have information for my investigation? You can email me at phil.williams@newschannel5.com.