Air traffic controller left early from work before crash: report

The responsibility of handling air traffic control for helicopters and incoming planes at Reagan National Airport were combined on Wednesday night ahead of a deadly collision, a report said.

Sometime before an American Airlines flight crashed into an Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River, an air traffic controller was assigned both duties by their supervisor, the New York Times reported, citing a source briefed on staffing and an internal preliminary FAA safety report.

Usually, the duties of handling helicopter traffic and managing planes are divided from 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the airport, the Times reported. After 9:30 p.m., when traffic slows down, those duties may be combined.

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However, on Wednesday, an air traffic control supervisor combined those duties sometime before 9:30 p.m. and allowed one air traffic controller to leave the job early, the Times reported.

The FAA preliminary safety report found that staffing at the airport was “not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic,” The Associated Press reported.

The FAA did not answer questions about the reports that an air traffic controller left early.

“Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport has 25 Certified Professional Controllers and three Certified Professional Controllers in Training (CPC-ITs).  CPC-ITs were previously fully certified at other facilities. The tower is authorized to have 28 controllers,” and FAA spokesperson said. 

Despite the report saying the staffing was “not normal,” a person familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital that staffing in the control tower at DCA on Wednesday night was at a normal level.

STAFFING AT REAGAN WASHINGTON NATIONAL AIRPORT AIR CONTROL TOWER WAS ‘NOT NORMAL’ ON NIGHT OF COLLISION: FAA

The person explained that the positions get combined regularly if air controllers have to step away from the console for breaks, or if they are involved in a shift change. Controllers may also have to step away when air traffic is slow, the person explained, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal procedures.

Supervisors have the ability to combine roles, which was the case on Wednesday night, though the person familiar with the matter could not say why. When asked about the air traffic and previous reports of it being heavy on Wednesday night, the source said it was moderate.

The air control tower at Reagan National has been understaffed for years with 19 fully certified controllers as of September 2023. However, staffing targets set by the FAA and the controllers’ union call for 30.

The cause of the shortage has been attributed to employee turnover and other factors like tight budgets, and ultimately, it has resulted in many controllers working 10-hour days and as many as six days a week, the New York Times reported.