Near-Collision at Austin Airport Highlights FAA Issues

Controller's decision in dense fog leads to near-miss, spotlighting chronic understaffing and technology concerns at FAA

An air traffic controller's decision to authorize a Southwest Airlines jet to take off in dense fog, with a FedEx cargo plane close behind, led to a near-collision at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in February.
The FedEx crew noticed the danger just in time, pulling up and circling around to avoid a collision. The planes came within about 100 feet of each other.
The incident highlighted chronic issues with recruitment and technology upgrades at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Staff had long-standing concerns about a shortage of air traffic controllers, grueling overtime schedules, and the lack of an alerting system that could warn of an impending crash.
The controller, Damian Campbell, admitted in hindsight he could have held the Southwest plane from departing. He was working an overtime shift at the time of the incident.
The FAA has said the Austin airport would be the first of 95 facilities to receive a new training simulator in January.