Air safety above N.Y. called into question

NEW YORK, June 11 (UPI) -- The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is investigating five near-miss incidents last month involving planes over the New York area.

With only three in-air near-collisions having occurred in the New York area in 2006, the sudden increase in such near-disasters during May prompted aviation officials to investigate, the New York Post said Monday.

One member of the air-traffic controllers union said the recent rash of such incidents is indicative of a decreased safety margin in air travel.

"Air travelers should be seriously concerned about their safety," union member Phil Barbarello told the Post.

"The margin of safety is as low as I have ever seen, and I've been with the agency (FAA) for 23 years."

Initial reports from the FAA said that the near-misses, that represent planes passing within 500 feet of one another, aren't due to a lack of air-traffic controllers.

The Post said that while FAA officials did admit the frightening trend appeared to be on the rise, the related numbers are inconclusive at this point.