The Associated Press reported that a preliminary FAA report shows that the Reagan National Airport air control tower had one controller “responsible for coordinating helicopter traffic and arriving and departing planes” when an Army helicopter and American Airlines plane collided on Wednesday.
According to the report, having one controller responsible for those actions was “not normal.”
However, a person told the AP that “the staffing at the air traffic control tower on Wednesday night was at a normal level.”
The person explained that “positions are regularly combined when controllers need to step away from the console for breaks, are in the process of a shift change, or air traffic is slow.”
The collision over the Potomac River killed all 67 people on the two aircraft.
First responders have recovered 28 bodies.
The National Transportation Safety Board promised a preliminary board within 30 days.
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