Free Fall

Seventy

Palmdale, California

Camilla Rosa’s eyes narrowed on her radar screen in the dimly lit room housed by the Los Angeles Air Route Traffic Control Center.

Ever since receiving the FAA’s recent alert, Rosa had been functioning at a heightened sense of awareness at her station.

She was a skilled, conscientious air traffic controller, a ten-year veteran who was ever vigilant, but news stories about the FBI’s search for three people related to the London crash and the troubled EastCloud flight had every controller on edge.

The Los Angeles Center’s reach of responsibility encompassed the southern half of California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and western Arizona.

Trans Peak Airlines Flight 2230, nonstop to JFK, was one of the flights in Rosa’s sector. The flight had crossed over Las Vegas and was high above Lake Mead, Nevada. Soon it would be over southwestern Utah and out of her sector.

Rosa was preparing to hand off the flight to Denver Center when she felt a tiny ping of concern. Flight 2230’s altitude was thirty-five thousand feet, the altitude assigned to the flight. But she’d noticed the aircraft was climbing to thirty-six thousand feet.

What’s up with that?

Typically, east-to-west and west-to-east flights were assigned odd-numbered flight levels, while north-to-south and south-to-north flights were assigned even-numbered ones.

No immediate traffic was in Flight 2230’s corridor, but the pilot had not requested to leave his assigned altitude, so Rosa radioed the aircraft.

“TP Twenty-two Thirty, LA Center. You’re at flight level three six zero. Return to flight level three five zero.”

“Twenty-two Thirty. Roger, LA Center. Stand by.”

Rosa allowed sixty seconds. During that time she tended to other flights in her sector while keeping an eye out for 2230 to return to its assigned level. When it didn’t happen, she radioed again.

“TP Twenty-two Thirty, LA Center. You’re still showing level three six zero. Request you return to flight level three five zero as you’re approaching Denver Center sector.”

A full ten seconds passed in silence.

“TP Twenty-two Thirty, LA Center. Did you copy? Return to flight level three five zero.”

“Twenty-two Thirty. Roger, LA Center. Uh, we’re working on it but it seems we’ve got a system issue. Request you clear space until we can correct things.”

“TP Twenty-two Thirty, what is your systems issue?”

“Twenty-two Thirty. LA Center, that’s what we’re trying to figure out.”

Rosa scanned the vicinity near Flight 2230. They were clear in their space, but her unease had deepened, and in keeping with the FAA advisory, she pressed a button to summon her supervisor.