Air traffic controller found passed out drunk in tower

The man was arrested and charged with public intoxication.

AN AIR TRAFFIC controller in Arkansas was found passed out drunk in a control tower while he was on duty, it has emerged.

A plane at Springdale Municipal Airport was waiting on the runway to take off on Thursday but was receiving no response from the tower. Eventually the pilot notified the city and a maintenance worker found Philip Maschek shirtless and unconscious on the floor, 5News reports.

Police were called to the scene and they administered sobriety tests and arrested Mascheck. He was charged with public intoxication.

The air traffic controller works for a contractor hired by a number of airports around the country. The Telegraph reports an investigation has now been launched by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

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