The air traffic controller on duty at the time of the deadly passenger plane-Black Hawk helicopter crash in Washington, DC, was doing the work of two people, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
Staffing in the air traffic control tower at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport was “not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic,” the FAA found in its preliminary report, according to the New York Times.
Wreckage from the American Airlines jet and Army Black Hawk helicopter crash can be seen as rescue crews search the waters of the Potomac River on Thursday. U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters
Investigators walk the grounds of the Reagan National Airport on Jan. 30, the day after a passenger plane and Black Hawk chopper collided in Arlington, Va. Getty ImagesUnderstaffing resulted in a controller pulling double duty — overseeing helicopters while also guiding arriving and departing planes on the busy airport’s runways, the report found.
Those responsibilities are normally split between two controllers, it added.
The airport’s air traffic control facilities have been understaffed for years, with only 19 fully certified controllers on deck as of September 2023, according to Congress’ Air Traffic Controller Workforce Plan report.
In that plan, ATC said it is “committed to maximum hiring for the next few years to recover from substantial under-hiring due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the lapse in funding in 2019.”
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The Biden-era report also highlighted the agency’s commitment to DEI policies.
“The FAA is fully committed to ensuring equal employment opportunity while maintaining the highest safety standards as outlined in the agency’s Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan 2021-2025,” the report said.
Jack Forbes / NY Post Design
Footage of the moment the plane and helicopter crashed into each other.
“These principles are supported by focusing and increasing outreach and recruitment to underrepresented communities through intern programs, outreach to colleges, universities, and community organizations and partnerships with other federal agencies,” the report continued.
In 2023, the FAA exceeded its hiring target of 1,500 controllers by bringing aboard 1,512 new employees.
The facility should have had 30 on deck, as per the goal set by the FAA and controllers’ union. Shortages have caused many controllers to work 10-hour days and six-day weeks.
