Former air traffic controller warns of crisis, FAA reverses COS plans during KRDO13 investigation
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- "An accident waiting to happen," and "a deadly crash is inevitable" -- just two of the recent dire warnings from burned-out air traffic controllers. And now, during what's been one of the most turbulent years for commercial air travel, the Federal Aviation Administration canceled big plans for the Colorado Springs Airport following questions from KRDO13 Investigates, and a former air traffic controller is giving rare insight into a "crisis" that's on the verge of tipping U.S. air travel into dangerous territory.
KRDO13’s Josh Helmuth recently sat down with Christopher Hastings, a former certified air traffic controller who quit his job at the Pueblo Tower last year after nearly a decade in the industry. One big question during the interview – is it safe to fly right now?
“It’s safe to fly,” said Hastings after a brief pause. “But I would say the system is strained.”
That strain is the reason Hastings quit, along with countless other controllers across the country in recent years.
The Air Traffic Controller Crisis
“Everyone is working six days a week,” said Hastings. “You can make money, but you have no life outside of work. And the one day off a week that you get, you're exhausted and trying to catch up on all the stuff you didn't get to do during the week.”
Hastings oversaw thousands of lives spanning dozens of flights per day while working in air traffic control. He started his career in Fort Worth in 2016 and spent four years, more recently, at the Pueblo Tower.
“My primary job was separating aircraft, issuing safety alerts, and making sure that the flying public in Pueblo were safe,” he said. “In the most basic way, I'm saying ‘there's a plane here. Turn to avoid them,’ or ‘do you have them in sight?’ okay, ‘make sure you don't hit them.’”
“Where air traffic controllers really earn their money is when things go wrong, when weather moves in, when an aircraft's having difficulty, that's where you have to step in and deviate from what's routine and what the system normally operates as and come up with a plan to keep everyone safe and get everyone on the ground,” said Hastings.
How Air Traffic Control Works During Your Flight:
Hastings said certified air traffic controllers are quitting at an alarming rate because facilities continue to be understaffed, sometimes at dangerously low levels, putting even more strain on a role that is already considered to be one of the most stressful jobs on the planet.
And going against those overworked hours: deteriorating facilities, outdated equipment, and co-workers doing what they can to cope without proper mental healthcare.
“The facilities are old ... I know at Pueblo Tower we had a roof leak that caused one of the tiles to fall down while we were working. At other facilities, they’ve had to deal with asbestos mitigation... flooding ... Everyone’s working six days a week,” said Hastings.
“Equipment is another area that needs to be focused on ... There are portions of equipment that, yes, you need a floppy disk to update it,” he said.
2025: A Scary Year For Commercial Air Travelers
Many commercial passengers are already on edge.
In January, an American Airlines passenger jet collided with an Army helicopter over the Potomac River in Washington, killing 67 people in what was the worst American aviation disaster since 2001.
On March 13, an American Airlines flight left Colorado Springs and immediately had to be diverted to Denver because of engine trouble. Upon landing, a fire prompted an emergency evacuation, injuring a dozen people.
And on July 26, American passengers had to evacuate a smoking jet at DIA because of a landing gear incident while on departure.
Meanwhile, air traffic control issues continue to plague the industry with historic delays and equipment malfunctions.
On May 12, the Denver Air Route Traffic Control Center in Longmont, which directs planes flying at high altitude between airports covering nine states, had a communications outage for 90 seconds when transmitters went down. No one was hurt. But the FAA is investigating.
There are many root causes leading to the chaos in the skies. But aside from mechanical issues and outdated equipment, the low staffing within the FAA’s air traffic controllers is a situation many in the industry are calling a crisis.
According to the Air Traffic Controller Workforce Plan that was released last week, Denver Tower, Colorado Springs Tower, and Pueblo Tower are all below their staffing targets.
According to a New York Times analysis, “Ninety-nine percent of the air traffic control facilities in the United States are operating below recommended staffing levels.
The Plan To Shut Down COS Tower Overnight and The FAA's Abrupt Change Of Plans
In fact, NATCA, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, along with the FAA, made plans to shut down the Colorado Springs Air Traffic Control Tower every night from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. to help address “serious, ongoing staffing challenges,” effective July 13.
In fact, a reminder went out to staff on Friday, July 11. Helmuth reached an FAA spokesperson in Washington that morning, asking about the closure. The spokesperson said they were working on releasing an official comment. Less than three hours later, while waiting for that response, the FAA sent a new internal release, which Helmuth also obtained, announcing that the midnight closure at COS Tower was “canceled indefinitely.”
Following the announcement regarding the canceled overnight closure, the FAA sent a statement to Helmuth that read in part, “The FAA is evaluating a proposal to temporarily close the Colorado Springs air traffic control tower during the overnight shift, when there is a significant drop in traffic volume. These changes would ensure controller work schedules are more aligned with traffic demands and training periods.”
The statement also reads, “The safety of the flying public is always the FAA's number one priority. When there are staffing constraints, the FAA will adjust an air traffic control tower or facility's staffing to cover high-volume air traffic periods. We may also implement traffic management initiatives, such as slowing air traffic into the airport. The FAA also has operational procedures in place if a tower is closed, where nearby facilities assume control of airspace to help maintain safe separation of aircraft into the airport.”
KRDO13 Investigates then went to the Colorado Springs Airport to ask management if they knew about the midnight closure and the FAA's reversal. COS management wasn't willing to go on camera, but they did invite Helmuth into their front office and allowed him to record the conversation.
What The Colorado Springs Airport Had To Say Following The FAA's Reversal
“That memo essentially came out after conversations with them [the FAA],” said Jeremy Owings, the operations manager at COS.
“Basically, this is still a safe operation regardless if the tower is open or closed,” he said. “It’s common practice within the United States that towers close overnight.”
Owings noted that pilots can still broadcast on a frequency to other nearby towers, such as DIA, to have assistance during landings and take-offs, a practice that's more common than people realize, according to Owings.
“There’s just not a controller with you on the other end to give directions,” said Owings.
So why did the FAA abruptly cancel the midnight COS closure if it’s a safe operation regardless? KRDO13 Investigates followed up with the FAA twice, asking the following questions:
- Will COS ATC still have the same staff numbers for the time being? — 2 midnight shift ATC, 15 overall ATC (27 target), 2 Operational Supervisors (5 target) as noted in the NATCA releases. Or is the FAA supplying COS ATC with a temporary solution to meet target staffing levels until a permanent solution is met?
- Why make the change regarding the overnight cancellation just hours after NATCA sent out a release Friday morning, reminding everyone of the closures while noting expanded closure hours (11 pm - 5 am)?
- Did NATCA make these changes without full FAA knowledge or approval?
The FAA never responded.
What Statistics Say About 2025 Commercial Air Travel Safety
The silver lining is that 2025 is on pace to be one of the safest commercial flight years in the U.S. in a long time. According to the NTSB database, looking at Part 121 data, which includes all air carriers, including commercial flights, there were 31 accidents in 2023. In the past 16 years of recorded data, the U.S. has averaged 29.4 accidents per year. So far in 2025 (as of Aug. 21), the U.S. has had 10 accidents.
On the other hand, what that data doesn’t show are the close calls.
"An accident waiting to happen."
KRDO13 did a deep dive into the Aviation Safety Reporting System Database. It’s a database touted as the world’s largest “voluntary, confidential safety information” system. It’s used by pilots, flight attendants, air traffic control – just about anyone in aviation. According to the ASRS, air traffic controllers at the Denver Airport (DIA) Tower had an evening in September 2021 when only three controllers were on duty instead of the goal of 10. Those three controllers were in charge of 114 planes. They asked the district to lower the rate to 48 planes, for safety, and were denied. One anonymous controller said in the report, “Working with so few controllers without reducing the arrival rate is an accident waiting to happen.”
More recently, in March of last year, two small planes nearly collided at the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Broomfield. A controller at that tower reported they cleared an aircraft to take off as another was about to land on the same runway, but was able to separate them at the last second. They reported needing “greater staffing numbers in order to keep all of our positions open so these things can be caught more easily.”
A New York Times investigation from 2023 revealed, “Potentially dangerous close calls have been happening, on average, multiple times a week this year. Some air traffic controllers say they fear that a deadly crash is inevitable.”
It’s clear the industry is riding a fine line many air traffic controllers aren’t comfortable with.
Drugs and Alcohol?
On top of the air traffic controller staffing crisis, those who do stay in their seat sometimes cope with drugs or alcohol.
“Without saying names, do you know for certain where there was an air traffic controller who made a mistake? Maybe they were overtired or fatigued, over-stressed ... coping on the job with simulants or alcohol?” asked Helmuth to Hastings.
“Yes, I do,” said Hastings.
“The men and women that work in air traffic, they’re professionals. But there is some truth to there being that within the industry.”
Hastings said the lack of proper mental healthcare for air traffic controllers has been a long-term issue.
“If you're working six days a week and you are unable to go and seek basic mental health care, talk to a therapist without risking your job, you self-medicate and you come up with ways to cope and deal with the stress outside of what most people would consider good or healthy,” said Hastings.
Hastings added, “Recently, the FAA changed their policy ... now you can go and get a diagnosis ... and you don't have to go through this lengthy requalification process. But if you take any Sort of medication for anxiety, dealing with new situation ... you've got to jump through all these hoops,” he said.
“There needs to be a more individualized approach towards mental health care because it's not cookie-cutter.”
All the aforementioned issues combined mean the industry is in a make-or-break period.
“The aviation system is built so that there are multiple levels of safety,” said Hastings.
“So if one person makes a mistake, there's another layer of safety to catch that mistake so it doesn't become a catastrophe,” he said. “And what is happening is we are starting to erode those layers of safety because ... we're understaffed, overworked, and just naturally, if you are constantly exhausted and fatigued, you're going to make more mistakes.”
For Hastings, the writing was on the wall -- stay in a career that will burn him out, or leave the industry for the betterment of his personal health.
“It used to be a great career. And I would 100 percent urge people to go and apply for it. And if you got in it, you were set for life. And I don't know that I can do that anymore,” said Hastings. “I don't know that I can recommend it to people right now.”
Helmuth then asked Hastings what he would say to anyone flying right now?
“I would say flying is still safe. And the professionals that are working in air traffic control are going to ensure that it is safe. The system is strained, and we need to invest in the system, and the price tag looks huge. But we need it, the system needs it. And the efficiency, the safety, and the efficiency of the system require that investment,” said Hastings.
A Non-Response From The Air Traffic Controllers' Union (NATCA)
KRDO13 Investigates reached out several times, via phone and email, to NATCA (National Air Traffic Controllers Association) regarding the crisis, the plans – and changed plans – at COS, and what controllers need right now. KRDO13 never heard back. That included reaching out to former NATCA President John Carr, who responded via text message but declined to comment.
What's Next?
Meanwhile, KRDO13 also put in a FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) request to the FAA, asking for public records regarding mental health complaints and resources for air traffic controllers, building inspections and equipment. The FAA says they’re working on the request and say they hope to release those files to KRDO13 Investigates before September 1.
Regarding mental health, the FAA announced last year that they are reviewing recommendations to break down barriers that prevent pilots and air traffic controllers from reporting mental health issues, which has been a strain on the workforce. The FAA also reviewed recommendations from the FAA’s Mental Health and Aviation Medical Clearances Rulemaking Committee to help break down barriers that prevent pilots and air traffic controllers from reporting mental health issues.
The FAA is also taking steps to hire more controllers more quickly by removing outdated training methods.
Regarding equipment, new Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said there’s a plan to build a brand new state-of-the-art air traffic control system that will “be the envy of the world.” But many believe that if funding for that system is continually approved, it will still take a decade to make all the updates.
Have a tip? Email Josh Helmuth at Josh.Helmuth@KRDO.com.
Note: A previous version of this article read that the commercial airline crash over Washington earlier this year was the worst commercial crash in the U.S. since 9-11. That was incorrect. An American Airlines A300 crash killed 265 people (260 in the airplane and five on the ground) in Belle Harbour, New York, in November 2001. That error has been corrected.
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