DALLAS -- Some air traffic controllers say they believe American Airlines is attempting to save fuel at the expense of safety, and risking the possibility of a runway collision, NBC 5 reported.
The concerns stem from a near miss on a runway at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in early April that is under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration.
It happened as American Airlines mechanics were towing a Boeing 777 to a maintenance hangar using a high-speed tug. Air traffic controllers told the mechanics to stop short of a runway, but they did not stop in time and pulled the jumbo jet into the path of another plane coming in for landing, NBC 5 reported.
The pilot pulled up narrowly and avoided a collision, said Ric Loewen of The National Air Traffic Controllers Association.
"It was extremely close. I've heard reports of anything from 9 feet to 25 feet apart and either way that's too close for two planes to be under those circumstances," Loewen said.
If the incident had happened at night controllers said the pilot may not have seen the other plane until it was too late. That is because at night American Airlines had been towing planes across runways without turning on any of the plane's lights that are designed to avoid a collision, NBC 5 reported.
"So essentially it's just a big black hole out there at night -- we can't see them -- you have to remember where they are," Loewen said.
Running the lights would burn fuel and when American Airlines bought the high-speed tugs last year the goal was saving fuel by moving planes without turning on the engines or the generator that power the lights, NBC 5 reported.
The Allied Pilots Association, the union that represents the Airline's pilots, questioned the decision.
"This is certainly an area where we shouldn't be taking shortcuts," said Scott Shankland of the Allied Pilots Association. "All the money you save in shortcutting procedures will be wiped out if you have an incident."
The pilots union said moving planes in the dark without lights appears to be a violation of FAA regulations. American Airlines and the FAA had not responded to NBC 5's questions about that issue.
"These big planes can be hard to see at night and that could pose a problem," said DFW airport spokesman Ken Capps.
NBC 5 also learned that officials at DFW Airport sent a letter to American Airlines in March asking the airline to get the planes lit. An airport official wrote: "While we have had many meetings and e-mail discussions on this item since last fall -- we have not had any substantial progress in meeting this goal."
American Airlines declined an on-camera interview, but released a statement saying: "American is working with the DFW airport and the FAA to ensure that the tug and aircraft being towed are visible at night. How we will accomplish that is being discussed."
After the near miss incident in April, DFW Airport officials ordered American Airlines to park the tugs while the FAA investigates. The airline is still using the tugs to pull planes at airports in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Miami.
"I'd like to see the aircraft lit. I want to be able to see it," Loewen said. "That's how I do my job."
