A significant shortage of 3,800 air traffic controllers has been attributed to the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies, which have created a major gap in recruitment efforts, according to a class-action lawsuit attorney.
The New York Post reports Michael Pearson, the lead attorney in a class-action lawsuit against the FAA, claimed that over 1,000 aspiring air traffic controllers were abruptly removed from consideration due to newly implemented diversity hiring objectives.
According to Pearson, his clients had successfully completed their training at FAA-approved institutions and were awaiting placement in the agency’s direct hiring pool, which was the standard procedure at the time. However, months after their graduation, they were informed that they would now need to pass a new “biographical assessment” to continue in the hiring process.
He alleged that this assessment gave preference to individuals with little or no aviation experience.
“The FAA essentially decided that the candidates were too white and that the institutions were too exclusive,” Pearson asserted. “So in 2013, they removed them from the preferred hiring list that they had worked hard to earn—solely based on race.”
Pearson further stated that approximately 95 percent of the qualified candidates he represents failed this newly introduced biographical questionnaire, which he described as a personality test. As a result, he claimed, they were effectively screened out of the process despite having the necessary training and dedication for the role.
Concerns over air traffic controller staffing were thrust into the spotlight on January 31 following a deadly collision between an American Airlines passenger jet and a Black Hawk helicopter at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C. The crash resulted in the deaths of 67 people, marking the country’s worst aviation disaster in nearly 25 years.
At the time of the incident, the airport’s air traffic control tower was operating with only 19 full-time staff members—far below the FAA’s recommended 30 controllers. Nationally, the U.S. has approximately 10,800 air traffic controllers, but the National Air Traffic Controllers Association estimates that 14,600 are needed to meet demand.
“The FAA made a catastrophic staffing decision,” Pearson argued. “Training an air traffic controller takes between two to five years, and losing so many qualified candidates left a massive gap in the talent pipeline.”
Pearson also pointed to a hiring freeze that lasted nearly four years, coinciding with the implementation of DEI initiatives. He asserted that this hiring pause significantly contributed to staffing shortages, leading to overworked controllers suffering from fatigue and burnout.
“The FAA essentially halted hiring for three to four years due to DEI policies,” Pearson stated. “That decision directly impacted staffing levels, increasing fatigue and errors among controllers.”
The FAA reportedly discontinued the biographical assessment as a screening tool in 2018.
Pearson suggested that if investigations determine that the Washington, D.C., crash was caused by air traffic controller fatigue or lapses in situational awareness, it would be directly linked to DEI policies. “President Trump was right about that,” he said.
He attributed the tragedy to human error within air traffic control operations. An initial FAA report found that on the night of the crash, understaffing forced a single controller to manage both helicopter operations and runway traffic simultaneously—a workload typically handled by separate personnel.
“This profession demands constant vigilance and sharp awareness,” Pearson emphasized.
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