Air Transport

American Broadcasting news channel KVUE Austin has broadcast an in-depth report on the retraining of air traffic controllers at Dallas Fort Worth after an incident in August last year when an American Airlines pilot declared an emergency but was held from landing on his requested runway.

The crew on the flight on 312 August between Tulsa and Dallas declared low-fuel and asked to land against the flow of traffic.

Transcripts of the cockpit, show the pilot saying: "We're not sure if it's a fuel leak or what, but we need to get on the ground right away, please." But air traffic controllers retort that this could delay other aircraft, suggesting an alternate of Dallas Love Field. As a result, air traffic controllers have been put on to retraining courses to reinforce the idea that an emergency landing always takes priority.

View the report below or click on this link to launch the news prgramme in a new browser window.