An air traffic controller was handling two separate tower positions during the tragic midair collision that occurred on Wednesday night, a source familiar with the air traffic control setup revealed to CNN. The CNN source explained that the controller was responsible for managing both local and helicopter traffic, a staffing arrangement that, while uncommon, is not unheard of in certain circumstances.
An internal, preliminary report from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) indicated that staffing levels were “not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic.” According to The New York Times, the Reagan National control tower was operating at 85 percent of its usual capacity, with 24 out of 28 positions filled.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has just started its investigation into the collision and is exploring a variety of potential causes. However, it is still too early to determine whether the staffing arrangement at the time had any impact on the incident.
NTSB on Emergency Evacuation Slides
Regarding the commercial aircraft that crashed into the Potomac River on Wednesday night, National Transportation Safety Board member Todd Inman reported that there were no signs of emergency evacuation slides being deployed. Inman stated, “Right now, we’re going through the debris fields. Nothing we’ve seen would indicate that maybe slides or shoots were deployed.” He added that the crash was a “very quick, rapid impact.”
Inman also cautioned that the NTSB will continue to verify this information as the investigation progresses.
President Trump’s Statement and Recovery Efforts
In a statement following the tragic incident, President Donald Trump confirmed that there were no survivors of the collision between an American Airlines regional jet and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter in the Washington, DC area. This collision marks the deadliest such event in the region since 2001. Trump also attributed the tragedy to Democratic policies, though he provided no evidence to support this claim.
Recovery Operation
Emergency responders have now transitioned to a “recovery effort” following the collision, with authorities reporting the discovery of 28 bodies so far. The commercial plane, which was flying from Wichita, Kansas, was carrying 64 passengers, while the helicopter had three soldiers on board.
Among the passengers on the jet were several members of the figure skating community, who were returning from a developmental camp in Wichita. US Figure Skating confirmed that some of the victims were affiliated with the sport. The Skating Club of Boston has identified six victims, including Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, the 1994 world champions in pairs figure skating.
Also Read: Was US Figure Skater Jon Maravilla Barred From The DC Flight That Collided With Army Helicopter?