The recent collision involving an American Airlines flight and a Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport may have been partly caused by staffing issues at the airport’s air traffic control tower. An internal Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety report highlighted that the tower’s staffing levels were “not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic” during the incident.
On Wednesday evening, a single air traffic controller was responsible for managing both helicopter activity in the vicinity and the movements of aircraft departing from and landing at the airport. Two controllers typically fulfill these duties. This practice is part of a broader staffing challenge that the tower has faced for several years, with the current workforce falling nearly one-third below the ideal number of fully certified controllers. As of September 2023, the tower had 19 certified controllers, many working extended hours to meet needs.
Across the nation, the shortage of air traffic controllers is significant, with a reported shortfall of about 3,000 controllers as of early 2024. During the 2023 fiscal year, the FAA recruited approximately 1,512 new controller candidates. However, it also saw a loss of 1,300, including retirements and attrition at various training stages. Of these, 400 failed the FAA’s academy, and 109 dropped out. The National Pulse reported at the time that the Biden government prioritized the hiring of individuals at the FAA with intellectual and psychiatric disabilities.
The collision occurred shortly before 9 PM on Wednesday, as American Airlines flight 5342 was approaching runway 33. The plane collided with a Black Hawk helicopter from the 12th Aviation Battalion at Fort Belvoir, conducting a training flight over the Potomac River.
Tragically, the 60 passengers and four crew members aboard the airline and the three soldiers in the Black Hawk are all presumed dead.
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