Miami ATC overdoses on HEROIN at the control tower on duty
cli...@cari.net
Look at the WPLG-TV (ABC) Miami website at
There you will read the following article.
TROUBLE IN THE TOWER
[Producer/CATHY O'TOOLE]
EYEWITNESS NEWS HAS LEARNED A THIRD HIGH RANKING FAA MANAGER IS UNDER
INVESTIGATION AFTER AN AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER WAS FOUND USING HEROIN
IN THE MIAMI TOWER.
THE EYE TEAM BROKE THE "DRUGS IN THE TOWER" SCANDAL AND AS RAD BERKY
TELLS US, IT IS SPREADING. RAD.
[Rad Berky/EYE TEAM] THIS TIME IT IS THE MANAGER OF THE CONTROL TOWER
AT THE FORT LAUDERDALE HOLLYWOOD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. INVESTIGATORS
WANT TO KNOW IF PASSENGER'S LIVES WERE AT RISK.. BECAUSE OF WHAT THIS
MAN KNEW.. AND WHAT HE MIGHT HAVE TOLD OTHERS.
[SOT]
WE FOUND RON BOYD NOW WORKING AT THE CONTROL TOWER OF THE PALM BEACH
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. HE HAS BEEN RE-ASSIGNED THERE WHILE HE IS BEING
INVESTIGATED BY THE FAA. BEFORE THE SUDDEN MOVE TO THE PALM BEACH
TOWER, BOYD WAS THE TOP MANAGER IN THE TOWER AT THE FORT LAUDERDALE
HOLLYWOOD AIRPORT.
FAA INVESTIGATORS WANT TO KNOW IF BOYD GOT ADVANCE WORD OF SUPPOSEDLY
RANDOM FAA DRUG TESTS AND THEN LEAKED WORD OF THE TESTS TO CONTROLLERS
IN THE FORT LAUDERDALE TOWER.
[RAD TO RON] "Mr. Boyd, I'm Rad Berky from Channel 10. Mr. Boyd, can I
just ask you a question about the FAA investigation?"
THE INVESTIGATION BOYD DOESN'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT STARTED WHEN JOSEPH
HACKETT, A CONTROLLER AT THE MIAMI INTERNATIONAL TOWER, WAS FOUND
PASSED OUT IN A BATHROOM OF THE TOWER FROM WHAT THE EYE TEAM LEARNED
WAS HEROIN.
HACKETT WOULD NOT TALK TO THE EYE TEAM AND IS BEING FIRED BY THE FAA.
THE TOP MANAGER RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL MAJOR AIPORT TOWERS IN SOUTH
FLORIDA AND HIS ASSISTANT WERE REMOVED AFTER FAA INVESTIGTORS FOUND
THEY HAD TIPPED OFF SOMEONE IN THE MIAMI TOWER.
THE TIP: ADVANCE WARNING OF SUPPOSEDLY RANDOM DRUG TESTS.
THE SAME TIP, INVESTIGATORS SUSPECT, RON BOYD MIGHT HAVE BEEN GETTING
AND SPREADING AT THE FORT LAUDERDALE TOWER.
[Ron Boyd/TOWER MANAGER] "Please this is un-fair." "Can you...?" "This
is inappropriate and you know this is not right." "You are under
investigation by the FAA. I think I have to ask a question." (BOWS
HEAD) "Please, don't ask me these questions."
AN FAA SPOKESPERSON SAYS BOYD has been temporarily reassigned pending
the outcome of an investigation into allegations similar to those
recently investigated at the Miami tower."
IN A SPECIAL REPORT LAST WEEK THIS FORMER CONTROLLER TOLD THE EYE TEAM
HE USED MARIJUANA OFF DUTY, SAW CO-WORKERS REGULARLY USE DRUGS
ON-DUTY, AND THAT GETTING TIPPED-OFF BEFORE DRUG TESTS WAS A MATTER OF
COURSE.
SO FAR, JOSEPH HACKET IS THE ONLY CONTROLLER CONNECTED TO THIS
SCANDAL, KNOWN TO HAVE BEEN USING DRUGS.
BUT THE INVESTIGATION OF BOYD BRINGS TO THREE THE NUMBER OF MANAGERS
AT TWO AIRPORTS WHO ALLEGEDLY RISKED THEIR CAREERS TIPPING-OFF SOMEONE
IN THE TOWER ABOUT DRUG TESTS.
BEGGING THE QUESTION: ARE THERE CONTROLLERS IN THE TOWERS NOW, GUIDING
PLANES FILLED WITH PEOPLE, WHO NEEDED TO BE TIPPED OFF?
SINCE OUR REPORT LAST WEEK SEVERAL CONTROLLERS HAVE CONTACTED US
SAYING THEY TAKE PRIDE IN THEIR WORK AND DON'T DO DRUGS.
THE FAA SAYS THE INVESTIGATION AT THE FORT LAUDERDALE TOWER IS
CONTINUING AND THEY COULD NOT COMMENT ON WETHER ANY OTHER CONTROLLERS
ARE SUSPECTED OF USING DRUGS. KRISTI?
AND TONIGHT, THE PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS
ASSOCIATION FAXED US THIS RESPONSE TO RAD'S INVESTIGATION:
MICHAEL MCNALLY SAYS THAT AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS "DESERVE TO BE
SUPPORTED AND NOT HARASSED...."
HE SUGGESTS WE FOCUS ON OBSTACLES SUCH AS:
INSUFFICIENT STAFF TO HANDLE MIAMI'S GROWING AIR TRAFFIC...
UNRELIEABLE EQUIPMENT...ASBESTOS... AND OTHER MICROBIOLOGICAL
COMTAMINATION.
_________________________________________________________________
AIR TOWER DRUGS BlueGradient.gif (1695 bytes)
EVERY TIME YOU BOARD A PLANE... YOU PUT YOUR LIFE IN SOMEONE ELSE'S
HANDS.
BUT HOW QUICKLY WOULD YOU MAKE THAT DECISION IF YOU THOUGHT THE AIR
TRAFFIC CONTROLLER IN THE TOWER WAS ON DRUGS... ANYTHING FROM ALCHOHOL
TO HEROIN?
IMPOSSIBLE YOU SAY?
EVEN THE EYE TEAM THOUGHT SO... AT FIRST.
HERE IS RAD BERKY.....
THEY ARE THE UN-KNOWN FACES WHO GUIDE YOUR FLIGHT.
THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE QUICK OF MIND AND COOL UNDER PRESSURE.
THEY ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE STONED.
WE KNOW WHERE THEY WORK, BUT USUALLY NOTHING MORE ABOUT THE AIR
TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR *EVERY* MOVE MADE BY
*EVERY* PLANE LANDING AND TAKING OFF AT MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AND AT
AIRPORTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
JOSEPH HACKETT WAS ONE OF THOSE CONTROLLERS...UNTIL ONE DAY LAST MARCH
WHEN HE PASSED OUT IN THE BATHROOM OF THE TOWER AT MIA.
AS THE EYE TEAM FIRST TOLD YOU, HACKETT HAD OVER-DOSED ON HEROIN...ON
DUTY.
THE FAA CONFIRMED TO THE EYE TEAM THAT A SYRINGE WAS FOUND NEXT TO
WHERE HACKETT WAS SLUMPED OVER IN THE BATHROOM STALL.
IT WAS A DAY HACKETT WILL NOT TALK TO US ABOUT.
(RAD AT HACKET'S DOOR) "Mr Hacket?" "Yes." "I know it is a tough time
but I'd like to ask you some questions." (door slams)
THE FAA LATER CONFIRMED WHAT THE EYE TEAM KNEW.. THAT THE SUPERVISOR
WHO FOUND HACKET, WAS SUSPECTED OF TRYING TO COVER-UP BY ALTERING
HACKETT'S TIME SHEET TO SHOW HE HAD GONE HOME SICK.
AND PRESSED BY THE EYE TEAM, THE FAA IN A STUNNING ADMISSION, SAID THE
ENTIRE DRUG TESTING PROGRAM AT THE MIAMI TOWER WAS UNDER SUSPICION.
THE EYE TEAM CONFIRMED THE FAA SUSPECTS EMPLOYEES WERE GIVEN ADVANCE
WORD THAT SUPPOSEDLY RANDOM DRUG TESTS WERE ABOUT TO BE GIVEN TO
CONTROLLERS.
BUT AS BAD AS IT GOT, THE FAA MAINTAINS THAT WHAT HAPPENED IN THE
MIAMI TOWER IS AN ISOLATED INCIDENT...THAT HACKETT IS JUST ONE BAD
APPLE.
MAYBE THAT'S BECASUE THEY DIDN'T LISTEN TO ONE OF THEIR FORMER
CONTROLLERS NAMED JAMES BERGQUIST.
[(BERGQUIST] "I've seen controllers using alchohol, marijuana,
halucenagenic mushrooms, and LSD on the job. I've seen cocaine being
used off the job."
BERGQUIST HAD BEEN A CONTROLLER FOR TWO DECADES WORKING IN TOWERS IN
THE SAN DIEGO AREA.
HE BECAME HEAD OF THE LOCAL CHAPTER OF THE NATIONAL AIR TRAFFIC
CONTROLLERS UNION WHERE HE SAYS THE NUMBER CONCERN WAS FIGHTING THE
F-A-A'S DRUG TESTING.
BERGQIST EVENTUALLY LEFT THE TOWER WHEN HE WAS RETIRED ON DISABILITY
FOR A BAD BACK.
HE ADMITS HE IS NOT A SAINT AND THAT FOR MANY YEARS, HE TOO SMOKED
MARIJUANA, BUT ONLY OFF DUTY.
AND HE SAYS 50% OF HIS CO-WORKERS WERE DOING ILLEGAL DRUGS TOO.
[BERGQUIST] "People would go out on the cat-walk to smoke dope so that
the smell wouldn't permiate in the tower." "They would go back in the
tower and work for another hour, hour-and-a-half under the influence."
OTHER CONTROLLERS, ACCORDING TO BERGUIST FAVORED WHAT WERE ONCE CALLED
"MAGIC" OR "FUNNY MUSHROOMS."
[BERGQUIST]"I saw people going to lunch and they would go to a
hamburger place. And I saw 'em bring the hamburgers back and they
would just take off the hamburger and put 'em right on the buns and
use them right in front of the chief." "Mushrooms?" "Mushrooms.
Halucenigenic mushrooms."
[RAD STANDUP] "The FAA says it won;t tolerate drug use by controllers
and has a a strong drug testing policy in place. But the story a
controller at this Northern Michigan Airport is telling the Eye Team
makes the FAA's claim ring hollow."
[VINCE PEREZ] "How anybody could expect to work traffic under
heroin...I really thought it was a joke at first."
VINCE PEREZ IS A WORKING AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER. HE WORKS THE TOWER AT
THE AIRPORT IN TRAVERSE CITY, MICHIGAN, A RESORT COMMUNITY ON THE
NORTHERN SHORE OF LAKE MICHIGAN.
PEREZ SAYS HE DOESN'T USE DRUGS AND DOESN'T KNOW ANY CONTROLLERS WHO
DO...BUT WHEN HE HEARD ABOUT HEROIN IN THE MIAMI TOWER, HE KNEW HOW IT
COULD HAPPEN..
RATHER THEN TOUGHENING ITS DRUG TESTS, PEREZ SAYS THE FAA'S TESTS HAVE
BECOME ALMOST NON-EXISTANT.
[VINCE] "It used to be that years ago, we had our yearly physical and
a drug test was part of the physical. And then there were random
tests. They would come to the facility where they would suddenly show
up and people would have to go down and be tested."
BUT NO MORE.
[VINCE] "Myself, I haven't been tested in my physical in at least
three years and I believe its been four years or longer since I've had
a random test."
YES, THE FAA ADMITS, MANDATORY YEARLY DRUG TESTS WERE ELIMINATED YEARS
AGO. THE REASON: NOT EFFECTIVE BECAUSE CONTROLLERS KNEW EXACTLY WHEN
THEY WERE GOING TO BE TESTED.
AND IS IT POSSIBLE A CONTROLLER COULD GO 3 OR 4 YEARS AND NOT BE
RANDOMLY TESTED?
**NAT SOT**
THE FAA'S DRUG PROGRAM CO-ORDINATOR, ROGER BLOCKER, TOLD ME ITS
ENTIRELY POSSIBLE A CONTROLLER COULD WORK HIS WHOLE CAREER AND NEVER
BE TESTED.
JAMES BERGQUIST SAYS THERE WAS A SIMPLE REASON WHY HE COULD SMOKE
MARIJUANA AND NOT GET CAUGHT IN A DRUG TEST.
[JAMES BERGQUIST] "We were tipped off the day before hand." "Wait a
minute these are supposed to be random tests, but you were tipped
off?" "Yes, and as a matter of fact the person who told us about it
was the guy that was dealing the drugs."
THE FAA'S ROGER BLOCKER FIRST TOLD ME A TOWER ONLY GETS AN HOUR'S
NOTICE OF A RANDOM TEST, BUT LATER ADMITTED THE TOWER SUPERVISOR COULD
GET WORD AS EARLY AS THE DAY BEFORE. TIME ENOUGH, IF WORD WAS LEAKED,
FOR CONTROLLERS TO CALL IN SICK.
**NAT SOT**
WALKING PAST TRAVELERS WHOSE PLANES WILL SOON BE IN THE HANDS OF MANY
DEDICATED, RESPONSIBLE CONTROLLERS.. JAMES BERGQUIST WORRIES ABOUT THE
OTHER CONTROLLERS.. THE ONES WHO PUT LIVES AT RISK FOR A HIGH.
[BERGQUIST] "When you have controllers working under the influence of
drugs, then the accident is going to happen...it is just a matter of
when."
THE FAA SAYS THERE'S NO DRUG PROBLEM IN THE NATION'S CONTROL TOWERS.
BUT JUST A FEW HOURS AGO, KNOWING THIS STORY WAS GOING TO AIR
TONIGHT.. THE F-A-A CALLED TO TELL US THE INVESTIGATION OF THE HEROIN
OVERDOSE AT MIAMI'S TOWER IS OVER.
THE F-A-A CONCLUDED THAT TWO SUPERVISORS WERE IN FACT GIVING EMPLOYEES
ADVANCED WARNING OF WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN RANDOM DRUG TESTS.
THOSE SUPERVISORS HAVE BEEN DEMOTED AND RE-ASSIGNED.. BUT REMAIN AS
PAID EMPLOYEES OF THE F-A-A.
_________________________________________________________________
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Last changed: May 14, 1998