LAX shortage of controllers

A shortage in air-traffic controllers led to 55 runway incursions reported at Los Angeles International Airport since October 2001, eight of which occurred during the past year, according to a study released this week.n Art Maroquin in the Daily News.

An understaffed control tower at LAX means longer work hours and more duties for fatigued air-traffic controllers, leading to an increased likelihood for serious mistakes on the runway, according to a report by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.

"Quite often, controllers are the last line of defense and we see pilots doing something that they are not supposed to do, so part of our job is to stop them," said Michael Foote, president of NATCA's membership at LAX.