Controllers Tell of Drug Testing

Representatives of 34 air traffic controllers under investigation for alleged off-duty drug use said today that the majority of their colleagues had independently taken urinalyses that found them free of drugs. Results of drug tests administered by the Federal Aviation Administration have not yet been reported.

Controllers Kathy Heet and Dennis Cottle said they believed that the FAA acted improperly last Friday by removing the 34 from their radar screens and reassigning them to administrative duties at the Los Angeles Air Route Traffic Center in Palmdale. Heet and Cottle, speaking at a press conference in Palmdale, said the controllers should be allowed to continue working their regular duties while the FAA investigates.