Staffing on the air site visitors keep watch over tower at Ronald Reagan Nationwide Airport was once “no longer customary for the time of day and quantity of site visitors,” in line with an interior initial Federal Aviation Management protection document in regards to the collision that was once reviewed through The New York Occasions.
The controller who was once dealing with helicopters within the airport’s neighborhood Wednesday evening was once additionally teaching planes that had been touchdown and departing from its runways. The ones jobs generally are assigned to 2 controllers, moderately than one.
This will increase the workload for the air site visitors controller and will complicate the process. One reason why is that the controllers can use other radio frequencies to keep up a correspondence with pilots flying planes and pilots flying helicopters. Whilst the controller is speaking with pilots of the helicopter and the jet, the 2 units of pilots won’t be capable to listen each and every different.
Like many of the nation’s air site visitors keep watch over amenities, the tower at Reagan airport has been understaffed for years. The tower there was once just about a 3rd beneath centered group of workers ranges, with 19 totally qualified controllers as of September 2023, in line with the latest Air Traffic Controller Workforce Plan, an annual report back to Congress that incorporates goal and exact staffing ranges. The objectives set through the F.A.A. and the controllers’ union name for 30.
The dearth — brought about through years of worker turnover and tight budgets, amongst different elements — has compelled many controllers to paintings as much as six days every week and 10 hours an afternoon.
The F.A.A. didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
