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Airport control tower was understaffed before collision

Two people were handling the jobs of four when the plane and helicopter collided in D.C., killing 67 people, report says

The Reagan National Airport control tower Thursday following a crash involving a plane inbound from Wichita and a helicopter over the Potomac River. (Allison Robbert for The Washington Post)

The Reagan National Airport control tower Thursday following a crash involving a plane inbound from Wichita and a helicopter over the Potomac River. (Allison Robbert for The Washington Post)

The air traffic control tower at Reagan National Airport was understaffed on Wednesday evening when a passenger plane and a military helicopter collided in midair, according to a government report about the circumstances surrounding the disaster that killed 67 people and sparked renewed debate around the airport’s crowded airspace.

According to the report, described to The Washington Post, two people were handling the jobs of four among other colleagues inside National’s control tower at the time of the collision. The control tower staffing levels, the report concludes, were “not normal” for the time of day or the amount of air traffic over D.C., where an average of more than 100 helicopters a day zip around and underneath arriving and departing airline flights.

 

The crash occurred around 8:50 p.m., and its cause remained unclear Thursday evening.

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Author: Katie Shepherd, Aaron C. Davis, Victoria Craw, Olivia George and Ian Duncan

Source: The Washington Post

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