ATC errors jump 81%

More than 1,800 errors by air-traffic controllers — including 43 most likely to cause a midair collision between planes — were reported to the FAA last year, according to a USA Today story. Air-traffic errors that allowed planes to get too close together jumped 81% from 2007 to 2010, rising from 1,040 to 1,887. Those most likely to cause a collision or an accident were also up from 34 in 2007 to 43 last year, a 26% increase. The higher number of errors isn’t a breakdown in the system, according to FAA officials, who say they are the result of several years of improved reporting.