A supervisor at the Reagan National Airport tower reportedly let an air traffic controller leave early from his shift shortly before Wednesday night’s deadly collision over the Potomac River.
As a result, a single controller was monitoring both the airplanes and the helicopters flying in the heavily trafficked airspace, a source familiar with the investigation told NBC News.
One controller should be in charge of helicopters while another watches over airplanes, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
A supervisor at the Reagan National Airport tower reportedly let an air traffic controller leave early from his shift shortly before Wednesday night’s deadly collision over the Potomac River. REUTERSThe FAA said in a preliminary report Thursday that one air traffic controller was doing the job of two people at the time of the devastating crash, noting that staffing in the tower was “not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic.”
One person typically handles both plane and helicopter duties at the Reagan National Tower after 9:30 p.m. when air traffic begins to slow, The New York Times reported.
A breakdown in communication with air traffic control could be a key element behind the crash, which left 67 people dead.
According to radio transmissions from Wednesday night, the lone controller warned the US Army Black Hawk that it was getting too close to a “CRJ” — the type of airplane — which the experienced helicopter pilot acknowledged.
A breakdown in communication with air traffic control could be a key element behind the crash, which left 67 people dead. U.S. Coast Guard HeadquartersExperts believe the helicopter pilot may have maneuvered to avoid the wrong plane — a jet of the same model that was taking off farther away — since the controller never relayed the precise location of the American Airlines flight until it was too late.
The National Transportation Safety Board is also investigating whether the helicopter was flying too high.
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The chopper was flying at an altitude of 350-400 feet when it smashed into the plane when it should have been flying at the maximum allowed altitude of 200 feet.
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 the FAA’s Air Traffic Controller Workforce Plan report.
One controller should be in charge of helicopters while another watches over airplanes, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. REUTERS
The chopper was flying at an altitude of 350-400 feet when it smashed into the plane when it should have been flying at the maximum allowed altitude of 200 feet, according to reports. CNNThe facility should have had 30 certified controllers on deck — as per the goal set by the FAA and controllers’ union. Shortages led controllers to work 10-hour days and six-day weeks.
In the Biden-era plan, the FAA 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.”
