[Audio] Frustrated Pilot’s Fiery Exchange with Control Tower Goes Viral!

A recent exchange between air traffic control and a frustrated commercial pilot has made waves in the aviation community. The incident unfolded as American Airlines Flight 2139 was preparing for takeoff from a busy airport.

Listen to the audio recording here:

The pilot of Flight 2139 was on hold, waiting for permission to take off when things became tense. The control tower informed him that he would be following a Skyline flight that was about a mile ahead and making left traffic patterns. At first, everything seemed normal.

But then, the tension increased. The pilot expressed concern about a possible delay, saying they were just two minutes away from having to return to the gate. The stress was evident in his voice as he pointedly told air traffic control, “We got four in the pattern. It happened five minutes ago, and you tell me one minute ago you have two minutes before your timeout—unacceptable.”

The pilot’s frustration stemmed from what he described as “touch and go” flights happening in front of them. Touch and go landings involve planes landing on the runway and then immediately taking off again without stopping. While they are common practice for training purposes, they can slow down commercial flights waiting for takeoff, as seen in this situation.

Despite the pilot’s strong words, the control tower tried to calm things down, assuring him that the touch and go would wrap up in about 20 more seconds. Still, it was clear that the pilot felt he should have been given more information sooner, adding, “You could have told me about 10 minutes ago.”

As the situation unfolded, both the pilot and air traffic control communicated efficiently. Even with the rising tempers, everything was still going according to plan. The tower continued to manage traffic, guiding other flights on their way while addressing the situation with American Airlines.

The back-and-forth exchange highlighted how busy airports operate and the frustrations that can occur when multiple planes are trying to share the same airspace. In the end, the pilot’s insistence for clarity and timely communication echoed the sentiments of many in the aviation world who appreciate the complexities of air travel. The incident wrapped up with the pilot eventually receiving clearance for takeoff.

4 responses to “[Audio] Frustrated Pilot’s Fiery Exchange with Control Tower Goes Viral!”

uncle albert

August 26, 2024

Touch & go’s are PRACTICE, and should not interfere with scheduled commercial flights if the airport is close to capacity.
I hate flying anyhow, and I would be LIVID over something like this.

Trains are bad enough, passenger service has to yield right-of-way to freight trains, Chi to Detroit is especially bad in this respect. But at least freight is paying the bills, passenger service is a loss every year for Amtrash !

Reply
1. Joan
  
  August 28, 2024
  
  I have a lot of flying in my life time and I have sat on a plane waiting to take off for 30 minutes or more, however the reason, it must be for our own safety. If you want or need to fly, patience and understanding is needed. The only time I really was upset is when I have a connecting flight to catch and planes don’t wait for customers to check in or if they know the flight will be late. So we just have to suck it up and wait.
  
  Reply
Donna Lonie

August 27, 2024

I can’t help thinking about the “DEI” factor being pushed by our current Administration when it comes to both of these JOB / CAREER fields ! We the PEOPLE are put in danger. Hearing the Audio it was my first thought, sad but true. Many career fields need the “VERY BEST” people doing the job.

30+ years with the Air Force, counting DOD and a number of flights ….. mostly C 130s, the pilots assigned to fly were fully QUALIFIED or they would NOT be in the position ! I felt safe and knew beyond a shadow of doubt no matter what came up …… they WERE prepared to handle it !
Not so with the current environment in the AIR.
I think the current ADMINISTRATION needs to assign those “DEI” persons to Air Force 1 &2 !

Reply
Robert E. Altee

August 27, 2024

I am 90 years old now, but I was a pilot for more than 50 years. I accumulated more than 19,000 flying hours as a pilot, and had both, good and bad experiences with air traffic control. When I was in a training situation, there were a number of times that air traffic control services were extremely helpful to me. There were also times when traffic controllers were extremely well stressed, and as most humans react, it sort of displeased me. But four of my fellow pilots and I arranged for us to sit with air traffic controllers for a day every now ant then, and we learned very quickly that the stress the ATC folks were under almost constantly would have definitely affected our patience and understanding. Our concern was basically safety and timeliness; the ATC concern was to moderate sometimes dozens of aircraft in the air and on the ground simultaneously. It was then, and it still is, my belief that all aircrews and traffic controllers attend a periodic course of personality management at least every two years. It makes flying far more easier to really mean it when you say thank you at the end of your conversations.

Reply