Responsibility for managing air traffic control for helicopters and incoming planes on Reagan National Airport They were combined on Wednesday night before the deadly collision, the report said.
Shortly before the American Airlines flight crashed into the Black Hawk Army helicopter via the Potomac River, the air traffic controller of both duties was awarded by their supervisor, the New York Times reported, citing a source that informed the staff and the Inner Preliminary Safety Report of FAA Security .
Usually, the duties of handling helicopter traffic and aircraft management are divided from 10am to 9:30 pm at the airport, The Times reported. After 9:30 pm, when traffic slows down, these duties can be combined.
A general view of the National Airport of Reagan in Arlington, Virginia on Thursday, January 30, 2025. A scerkines of Wichite, Kansas, collided with a Black Hawk helicopter as he approached the airport for landing last night. (Leigh Green for Fox News Digital)
However, on Wednesday, the air traffic controller combined these duties just before 9:30 pm and allowed one air traffic controller to leave the job early, Times reported.
The FAA Preliminary Security Report found that staff at the airport “is not normal during the day of the day and the amount of traffic,” said Associate Press.
FAA did not answer questions about reports that the air traffic controller left early.
“Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport has 25 certified professional controllers and three certified professional training controlers (CPC-ITS). FAA.
Despite the report by saying that the staff is not “not normal”, the person familiar with the question told Fox News Digital that staff in Control tower in DCA Wednesday night was at a normal level.
Staff at the National Airport Reagan Washington was not “normal” on the collision night: FAA
Graphics shows a plane accident lane near the National Airport Reagan near Washington, DC (Fox News)
The person explained that positions are regularly combined if the air controllers must step down from the console for a break or if they are involved in changing the change. Controllers will also need to step down when air traffic is slow, the person explained, speaking, provided anonymity to discuss internal procedures.
Supervisors have the ability to combine roles, which was the case on Wednesday night, although the person familiar with the issue could not say why. Asked about air traffic and previous reports that he was on Wednesday night, the source said he was moderate.
Emergency units are searching for the location of the US aircraft collision on the Potomac River after the plane crashed last night at the Orthodan National Airport on January 30, 2025 in Arlington, Va. (Tasos Cathopodis/Getty Images)
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Air control tower on Reagan National He has had enough staff for years with 19 completely certified controllers since September 2023. However, the goals of the staff set up by the FAA and the controller’s union call for 30.
The cause of the lack of employees and other factors such as tight budgets was attributed to the traffic of employees, in the end, this resulted in many controllers worked 10-hour days and even six days a week, the New York Times reported.
Louis Casiano Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
