USA Today, "Air Accident: Comair Flight 5191 Jet Crash Spotlights Controllers' Shifts"

          Democratic lawmakers are demanding an investigation into the practice of allowing air-traffic controllers to work two shifts in 24 hours, a practice denounced by sleep experts.
          The shift option, in place for years, is an issue after it was revealed that a controller who cleared a regional jet for takeoff Sunday in Lexington said he had two hours of sleep between eight-hour shifts.
          The controller turned away from Comair Flight 5191 to perform other duties and did not notice that the pilots entered a closed runway that was too short for takeoff. The CRJ-100 jet slammed into trees and burned, killing 49 of the 50 people aboard.
          The controller had worked from 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, taken a nine-hour break and returned to work for another shift starting at 11:30 p.m., according to the National Transportation Safety Board. The accident occurred shortly after 6 a.m. near the end of the shift.

Learn more about the Comair Flight 5191 crash and the rights of the families of the accident victims.