Pilots and other aviation safety experts have said air traffic controllers aren't responsible for making sure pilots take off on the right runway. They say it's unlikely the lone controller's actions played a major role in the accident, though investigators haven't yet determined the cause of the crash.
Without naming names, subcommittee chairman John Mica, a Florida Republican, criticized the air traffic controllers for raising the staffing issue.
"Efforts to make that accident - and the tragic loss of life that occurred on that day - a sounding board for one's own agenda is not in good taste," Mica said.
Well now the Air Traffic Controllers are condemning the FAA cuts to the facilities.
Air traffic controllers in Dallas and other cities are condemning a Federal Aviation Administration push to reduce significantly the number of controllers.
The plan, which would reduce the number of controllers around the country by 10 percent, has been criticized for the impact it could have on safety, often leaving a single controller on duty at a time, The New York Times reported Wednesday.
Only one controller was on duty when ComAir 5191 crashed in Lexington last month. Cutting the controllers pay, staffing numbers and forcing a more strict dress code is creating a hostile work environment.
"You are on position longer, watching more airplanes, and it becomes a tired-eye syndrome," Conely said.
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