WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Federal Aviation Administration has uncovered another incident in which an air traffic controller fell asleep on the job, and the agency's chief told a congressional panel Wednesday the incident was "willful."
The disclosure came as Rep. Tom Latham, R-Iowa, chairman of a transportation subcommittee, asked FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt about a previously reported March incident in which the lone air traffic controller at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport fell asleep during a midnight shift.
"Have there been other incidents of the same thing?" Latham asked.
"Yes sir, we actually, I'm disappointed to say, in our investigation, we did find another incident," Babbitt responded. "And it was, unfortunately, willful."
Babbitt said the FAA is "in the process of disciplinary proceeding which will terminate this employee."
Asked if the agency is handling the case differently than the Reagan Airport incident, Babbitt indicated it is, saying, "This was a willful violation."
Latham did not ask, and Babbitt did not say, when or where the newly disclosed incident occurred. But Latham indicated he wanted more details.
The investigation into the Reagan Airport incident is continuing. In that incident, the controller, a 20-year veteran supervisory controller, acknowledged falling asleep about three hours into his midnight shift, according to the National Transportation Safety Board, which is conducting the investigation. He was the only controller at the time in the Reagan Airport tower.
Following the incident, the Department of Transportation mandated that a minimum of two controllers remain in the tower during the overnight hours, and it is reviewing staffing levels systemwide.