INDIANAPOLIS, April 5 (Reuters) - A union representing 970 pilots at low-cost carrier American Trans Air (AMTR) said on Friday that members had voted overwhelmingly to sanction a strike if contract talks with management fail to produce a new deal. Air Line Pilots Association representatives have been negotiating with the No. 10 U.S. carrier, an Indianapolis-based unit of Amtran Inc., since May 2000. Federal mediators from the National Mediation Board have intervened to try to help negotiate a contract. If the board declares an impasse, the two sides would begin a 30-day "cooling off" period, after which the union could call a strike. "A strike is not our route of choice, but it may be the road our management forces us to take," ALPA unit chairman Kevin Friel said in a prepared statement, noting 98 percent of voting members approved the strike option. ©2002 Reuters Limited.