Inquiry launched after first lady's plane is forced to abort landing

Published on Wednesday 20 April 2011 18:28

The United States National Transportation Safety Board has launched an investigation after a plane carrying first lady Michelle Obama was forced to abort its landing.

While Mrs Obama apparently was not in serious danger, the episode is another embarrassment for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Officials have been struggling to calm public jitters raised by nine suspensions of air traffic controllers and supervisers around the US in recent weeks, including five for sleeping on the job.

The most recent case of a controller falling asleep on duty was this week, when a controller at a regional radar facility near Cleveland, Ohio, was suspended for watching a movie on a DVD player when he was supposed to be monitoring air traffic. The FAA official in charge of the air traffic system resigned last week.

The incident involving the first lady and Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, occurred on Monday when a Boeing 737 came within three miles of a massive C-17 cargo plane as the planes were approaching Andrews Air Force Base, near Washington, to land.

The FAA requires a minimum separation of five miles between two large planes, in order to avoid dangerous wake turbulence, which can severely affect the trailing aircraft.