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Today, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association released information regarding last Wednesday's incident, concering a Federal Aviation Administration supervisor, who was talking on his cell phone, while his trainee mistakenly cleared an airport truck to cross the runway in front of a departing general aviation plane. The incident occurred at Flying Cloud Airport (KFCM) in Eden Prairie, Minn.

While the FAA has a strict ban on cell phone usage in its operational areas, a spokesperson for agency said that the incident is being investigated. The FAA said that failing to hold the truck until the plane took off was an operational error and the use of cell phones in the toweers is prohibited. However, NATCA, the union that represents air traffic controllers, flight test pilots, engineers, etc., said that an operational error report, filed by the supervisor in a summary report, "doesn't mention the use of a cell phone"

Bryan Zilonis, NATCA's regional vice president, said, "This is another case of FAA supervisors flaunting the agency's blatant, hypocritical disregard for safety. If a controller had committed this same unsafe act, they would've been suspended if not dismissed entirely. NATCA wants to see the same treatment for [FAA] management officials. We're waiting with bated breath to see what, if anything, the FAA will do. Clearly, the FAA wants its controllers to do as it says and not as it does."

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