{"id":19791,"date":"2025-02-01T11:35:38","date_gmt":"2025-02-01T08:35:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/?p=19791"},"modified":"2025-02-01T11:35:38","modified_gmt":"2025-02-01T08:35:38","slug":"dei-cost-me-a-job-in-aviation-a-crash-was-inevitable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/?p=19791","title":{"rendered":"\u2018DEI cost me a job in aviation \u2013 a crash was inevitable\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

An aspiring air traffic controller who claimed he was denied a job because of diversity targets said the aviation agency\u2019s obsession with inclusion\u00a0made an accident likely to happen.<\/p>\n

Andrew Brigida, 35, scored 100 per cent in his training exam but alleged that he was denied a position in an air traffic control tower because the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recruitment process favoured diverse candidates. He is part of a class action lawsuit filed against the federal agency.<\/p>\n

Speaking after the Washington air disaster,\u00a0in which 67 people were killed, Mr Brigida claimed that years of diversity hiring meant it was only a matter of time before an accident happened.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou want to hire the best and the brightest for this kind of job because it is a very stressful job and it can take a toll on you, age you prematurely,\u201d he told The Telegraph. \u201cYou want to make sure that the people that are doing it are the best.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Friday, it emerged that one of the air traffic controllers had\u00a0left their post early\u00a0on Wednesday evening when a passenger plane and a military helicopter collided above Washington.<\/p>\n

At the time of the collision, there was one controller managing traffic for both helicopters and planes \u2013 a job normally handled by two people \u2013 according to The New York Times. The FAA described staffing levels as \u201cnot normal for the time of day and the volume of traffic\u201d.<\/p>\n

Investigators\u00a0have recovered the black boxes\u00a0from both the passenger jet and the helicopter, and are combing through the flight data and audio recordings. A report is expected to be released in 30 days.<\/p>\n

More victims\u00a0were named overnight, including the American Airlines pilots and crew. Captain Jonathan Campos, 34, and First Officer Samuel Lilley, 28, died along with flight attendants Ian Epstein, 52, and Danasia Elder.<\/p>\n

On the Black Hawk helicopter, Crew Chief Ryan O\u2019Hara was named along with Chief Warrant Officer 2, Andrew Eaves. The female pilot has not yet been identified.<\/p>\n

Mr Brigida graduated from Arizona State University\u2019s collegiate training initiative in 2013 \u2013 a partnership programme with the FAA that was previously used to train and select the most qualified applicants.<\/p>\n

After scoring top marks in his air traffic control selection and training examination, he was placed on a preferred candidate list until the FAA changed the rules.<\/p>\n

\n
\n

Under the Obama administration, the regulator replaced a skills-based test with a biographical questionnaire to attract more diverse applicants.<\/p>\n

When Mr Brigida tried again to become an air traffic controller under the new tests, he said he failed the biographical questionnaire because he \u201cdidn\u2019t fit the preferred ethnic profile\u201d.<\/p>\n

Donald Trump blamed\u00a0the fatal crash<\/a>\u00a0on the FAA\u2019s recruitment policies, saying candidates with \u201csevere intellectual and psychiatric disabilities\u201d had been hired as air traffic controllers.<\/p>\n

Mr Brigida said previous administrations were to blame for the air traffic control staffing crisis because they \u201cgot too comfortable because there has not been an incident in a long time\u201d.<\/p>\n

Mr Brigida said previous administrations were to blame for the air traffic control staffing crisis because they \u201cgot too comfortable because there has not been an incident in a long time\u201d.<\/p>\n

In November 2019, attorneys for Mountain States Legal Foundation sought class action status in a lawsuit for more than 2,500 aspiring air traffic controllers who they said were harmed by the FAA\u2019s hiring policies.<\/p>\n

They argued that the Obama administration endangered public safety by prioritising racial politics and owes compensation for the \u201cgrave injustice\u201d. The FAA and the US transport department are contesting the lawsuit.<\/p>\n

With the case expected to go to court early next year with 900 claimants, Will Trachman, the lead counsel, said\u00a0Joe Biden<\/a>\u00a0had tried to sweep the diversity scandal \u201cunder the rug\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis started under Obama, but it\u2019s the Biden administration that tried to sweep it under the rug and assert attorney-client privilege over 14,000 documents and has been trying to oppose and dismiss this case,\u201d said Mr Trachman.<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s one thing to do it but the Biden administration refused to recognise the error of the FAA\u2019s ways and so they dug in and, in fact, tried to go bigger on diversity measures.\u201d<\/p>\n

American Airlines flight 5342 had been descending towards the runway at Ronald Reagan National Airport on Wednesday evening when it collided with the helicopter and plunged into the Potomac. All of those on board both aircraft were killed.<\/p>\n

\n
\"The