Controller/Southwest Crew suspended . . .

[OceansEdge]

Further information from the NTSB courtesy of AVWeb:
http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/73 ... MP=OTC-RSS

[CID]

The suspensions are warranted. When I buy a ticket on an airline I do so with the expectation that the flight crew will follow the rules. The pilots weren't alone in that airliner and they had no right to make a decision to deviate from the rules and perform this maneuver which effectively reduced the level of safety.

This isn't exactly low density airspace and the controller was completely wrong to ask the Southwest flight crew to break the rules and the crew were wrong to accept the request. ATC should have just followed protocol, cleared airspace around the cirrus and continued to try to contact him.

What's the worst that could happen? As opposed to the worst that could have happened to the 737? If the unresponsive airplane was truly a serious threat they could have scrambled a military jet to intercept it.

Sorry, it may be the unpopular opinion, but the ATC supervisor and crew were wrong and deserved suspensions.

[SII]

well opinions are like assholes everyone's got one.

[704type]

So let me think about this for a moment .... if the Boeing was IFR in cruise, and the Cirrus was VFR in cruise, the verticle separation could have been as little as 500 feet, regardless whether they were parallel in track or crossing each others track .... Hmmmm But according to regs. that is ok... Just think about it, another method of pointing fingers and blame, when there shouldn't be any blame to begin with. If it was an F18/16 that would have been ok !!!!