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UPDATE: Veteran FAA whistleblower quits in disgust

By: Barbara Hollingsworth
Examiner Columnist
09/16/09 1:57 PM EDT

Twelve years after first reporting serious safety problems at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport, including numerous cover-ups of near collisions and the abuse of prescription narcotics by her fellow air traffic controllers, Anne Whiteman has resigned.

The 25-year FAA veteran told CBS affiliate WFAA-TV (http://www.wfaa.com/video/index.html?nvid=398097)
that she was isolated, demoted, and physically assaulted for filing complaints with the Office of Special Counsel, which confirmed most of her safety concerns, including her accounts of air traffic controllers blaming pilots for their mistakes. She also said her equipment was sabotaged in retaliation.

FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt, who was appointed to the post in June, said he was "reaching out to whistleblowers," but Whiteman said he never responded to her emails.

 




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Reader Comments

All comments on this page are subject to our Terms of Use and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Examiner or its staff. Comment box is limited to 250 words.

Alan Premel

Sep 16, 2009

Thank you for covering this. For those of us who have beared the brunt of the coverups, wrong doing and mistreatment need people willing to cover stories such as these. It seems to be an on going trend to discredit, fire and mistreat unhappy employees. When we whistle blow we are made out to be un-American and crazy. We have seen this same thing with Bob Maclean with TSA and i have seen it with rendition. We need this whistle blowing legislation to protect the ones who do come out and speak up of wrong doing. Whiteman should be applauded for stepping up and trying to correct what she has witnessed.

 

Richard Wyeroski

Sep 17, 2009

A courageous lady that can't take it anymore. No one cares and the problems continue. Is it the end of the whistleblower?.....god know you did the right thing Anne....we are all behind you!

 

Norman

Oct 6, 2009

Where has everyone been? This is not only about Air traffic controllers, it it EVERYWHERE. The Baltimore city police dept. has been hiring "Ex-drug abusers" Would you want to work with someone that uses drugs when your life may be on the line? Thanks to the Obama cult, things will get even worse.

 


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