Air traffic controller played Samuel L Jackson movie he was watching at desk over the airwaves (at least it wasn't Snakes On A Plane)



Worker suspended after microphone became lodged in 'transmit' position

A U.S. air traffic controller has been suspended after watching a film while on duty and accidentally transmitting the film's audio to aircraft he was supposed to be monitoring.

The controller was watching a DVD while on duty at the Oberlin air traffic control centre in Cleveland, Ohio, which handles high-altitude air traffic.



The worker's microphone became lodged in the 'transmit' position and he accidentally played out three minutes of audio from the 2007 Samuel L Jackson thriller Cleaner to all planes in surrounding airspace.



Blunders: President Obama was last week forced to reassure Americans that air traffic officials are working professionally

While the controller's microphone was stuck, he was unable to hear incoming radio calls or issue instructions to planes for several minutes, Federal Aviation Administration officials said.



He was eventually alerted to the blunder at the regional radar centre when he was contacted by a military pilot.



As well as the controller who had been watching the DVD on Sunday morning, the FAA has also suspended a manager at the Oberlin centre.



The latest lapse has caused further embarrassment to the FAA, following reports of at least five controllers falling asleep on the job.

The FAA have suspended a total of eight controllers and supervisors in the past month, leading to calls from President Obama and U.S. Transport Secretary Ray LaHood for extra professionalism from air traffic officials.



Nearly all the incidents occurred during overnight shifts when traffic is light and workers have trouble staying awake.



On Monday, FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said he was 'infuriated' that air traffic controllers have been caught snoozing on the job.



He said: 'None of us in this business can tolerate any of this. It absolutely has to stop.'



Samuel L Jackson, right, appears with Eva Mendes in the 2007 thriller Cleaner, which an airport official accidentally transmitted to planes in U.S. airspace while on duty

Samuel L Jackson famously starred in the aircraft-themed thriller Snakes On A Place in 2006

Babbitt was at a regional radar centre near Atlanta with Paul Rinaldi, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, the union that represents controllers.



The pair met with about 50 controllers and other FAA employees as they began a nationwide tour of air traffic facilities aimed at reinforcing professional behaviour among air traffic workers.



Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood gave the same message in a series of television interviews over the past several days.



Even President Barack Obama joined the chorus, telling ABC News last week: 'We've got it under control.'



The day before the Cleveland incident a controller fell asleep while working an overnight shift at a busy regional radar facility in Miami which handles air traffic in Florida and over the Atlantic Ocean.



Transport Secretary Ray LaHood has also reinforced assurances that American plane travellers are safe following several control lapses

The incidents have raised concerns about work schedules that don't allow controllers realistic opportunities for rest.



The FAA forbids controllers from sleeping on the job, even during the 20-minute to 30-minute breaks they receive every few hours. Babbitt stood by that position Monday.



Instead, the agency said it will require controllers to have an extra hour off between shifts - a minimum of nine hours instead of eight - to get more sleep.



Babbitt said at the meeting that the scandal caused by sleeping controllers has harmed the agency's credibility.



He said passengers should never have to worry about whether a flight crew is rested, a plane is properly maintained or that air traffic controllers are on the job.



Mr Babbitt said: 'That should never be a thought for anybody getting in an airplane in this country.



'And it hasn't been a thought. But unfortunately, we have raised that concern.'

