The nation's second-tallest federal air-traffic control tower, under construction at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, faces at least a one-year delay after an antimicrobial coating, which may have been improperly applied, flaked off from ductwork and became airborne. Project participants are staying mum about the problem and its origin, but legal observers speculate that corrective repairs could be expensive and trigger lawsuits.
The Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, a Washington, D.C., union that represents an estimated 11,000 U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Defense Dept. aviation inspection, support, equipment installation and related employees, detailed the alleged mishap after members inspected the site in July.