A third air traffic controller has been fired for sleeping on the job, reported the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today.

In an email, the FAA said that the controller was dismissed from his post at Boeing Field in Seattle for sleeping on duty on two separate occasions.

On January 6, the controller allegedly fell asleep on the job twice during a shift. Then on April 11, the controller fell asleep while monitoring local traffic.

For the last month, the FAA has been doing damage control over a series of incidents in which air traffic controllers were found sleeping or watching movies on the job.

One incident caused the aborted landing of a plane carrying First Lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden, the wife of the vice president.

Federal safety investigators are urging the FAA to consider on-the-job naps to battle fatigue in the airline industry, especially in jobs with overnight shifts like air traffic controllers and airline pilots.

Previously: FAA’s Chief Air Traffic Control Officer Resigns In Wake Of Sleeping Controller Scandals

According to National Transportation Safety Board member Mark Rosekind, there are several scientific studies showing that naps between 20 and 30 minutes can combat fatigue and refresh workers.

Rosekind is an internationally known fatigue expert. He formerly worked for NASA and directed a sleep research center at Stanford University.

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association is backing Rosekind’s assessment and pushing the FAA to allow prearranged naps during overnight shifts and daytime breaks.

The FAA currently forbids any sleeping on the job for air controllers, even during breaks.

FAA officials is reviewing the recommendations. However, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt have both been quoted as saying they would not approve naps.

By Adriana Padilla for PeterGreenberg.com.

Related Links: King-5, Associated Press, USA Today

Related Links on PeterGreenberg.com:

• FAA’s Chief Air Traffic Control Officer Resigns In Wake Of Sleeping Controller Scandals
• Air Traffic Control Staffing Concerns & Frequent-Flier Face-Lifts
• Washington’s Reagan National Airport Air Traffic Controller Allegedly Falls Asleep, Putting Planes At Risk
• What Does It Take To Be An Air Traffic Controller?
• Air Traffic Controller Mistakes Double As Serious Safety Incidents Reported
• Air Travel News: Airports & Airlines section