FAA adds a 2nd air controller

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Federal Aviation Administration said Monday it has added a second controller to the weekend overnight shift at Lexington Blue Grass Airport after a crash that killed 49 and critically injured the first officer.
Only one controller was in the tower at 6:07 a.m. Sunday, when the CRJ100 attempted to take off on a runway too short for it to gain enough speed to become airborne.
"We have restored the second controller on the weekend overnight shift," said FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown. She declined to give a reason for the decision.
Had an air traffic controller at Lexington noticed the pilot of Comair Flight 5191 lining up on the wrong runway, the accident might have been prevented.
After Sunday's fatal crash in Kentucky, investigators interviewed the lone controller on duty. A day later, a second controller was in the tower on the midnight-to-8 a.m.
Brown said two controllers are in the tower on weekdays but only one controller was scheduled for the weekend overnight shift because traffic was significantly lighter.
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