Was understaffing at Reagan Airport control tower the reason for mid-air collision in Washington?

A day after the United States witnessed its deadliest aviation disaster in over two decades, a preliminary report from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has revealed alarming details about what may have led to the tragic mid-air collision.

The report states that the airport control tower—responsible for guiding pilots—was severely understaffed when the American Airlines passenger jet and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter collided mid-air near Ronald Reagan National Airport. Within moments, both aircraft were torn apart, and their wreckage plunged into the icy Potomac River , killing all 64 passengers and crew aboard the plane, along with three soldiers in the helicopter.

As recovery efforts continue, investigators are working to piece together the sequence of events that led to the deadly crash.

Here’s what we know so far.

‘Only one air controller working’

A report from the FAA, accessed by The New York Times, revealed a critical staffing issue at Ronald Reagan National Airport on the night of the crash. The report states that the staffing at the air traffic control tower was “not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic.”

Shockingly, a single air traffic controller was responsible for both guiding helicopters near the airport and managing landings and departures for planes. Normally, these tasks are handled by two separate controllers to ensure smooth communication and avoid errors.

Ronald Reagan National Airport, one of the three airports in Washington DC, has been struggling with a shortage of air traffic controllers for years. While both the FAA and the controllers’ union have recommended a staff of around 30 controllers, the airport had only 19 fully trained controllers as of September 2023.

Years of employee turnover, budget constraints, and other factors have worsened the situation, forcing many controllers to work up to six days a week and 10-hour shifts.

Notably, air traffic control is considered one of the most stressful jobs in the world, and an increased workload can make it even more challenging as controllers use different radio frequencies to communicate with pilots from the helicopter and airplane, meaning the two sets of pilots may not hear each other’s instructions, increasing the risk of miscommunication in a busy airspace.

Adding to the tragedy, chilling audio from the air traffic control tower has surfaced, capturing the final exchange between the controller and the helicopter just moments before the crash.

Less than 30 seconds before impact, the controller asked, “PAT25, do you have the CRJ in sight?”—referring to the PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet.

No response came from the helicopter, and within seconds, the collision occurred. Immediately after, a second pilot was heard urgently calling out, “Tower, did you see that?

Trump blames diversity hiring for crash

President Donald Trump has weighed in on the tragedy, controversially blaming diversity and inclusion policies for declining aviation safety standards under the former Biden and Obama administrations.

Without providing evidence, Trump claimed that previous leadership had determined the FAA workforce was “too white.”

He said, “We must have only the highest standards for those who work in our aviation system… I changed the Obama standards from very mediocre at best to extraordinary.”

“You remember that. Only the highest aptitude. They have to be the highest intellect and psychologically superior people were allowed to qualify for air traffic controllers. That was not so prior to getting there.”

When asked about the potential air traffic controller shortage, Trump doubled down and added that he believed it was an issue of “competence.”

“That’s part of competence right there,” the president said. “Competence would be you’re not going to have a shortage,” he added. “But if you had the right people, you wouldn’t need as many people.”

The DEI programmes are part of workplace policies designed to ensure fairer representation for historically marginalised groups, including African Americans, LGBTQ+ individuals, women, disabled people, and other ethnic minorities in the US. Since his inauguration, Trump has signed a series of executive orders aimed at dismantling these initiatives across both the federal government and the private sector.

However, it remains unclear how these diversity efforts may have affected air traffic controllers. The FAA employs more than 35,000 people, with only a fraction serving in that role.

Also read: Trump blames diversity hiring for Washington DC crash. Has he got his facts right?

NTSB investigating the crash

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has launched an in-depth investigation into the mid-air collision, calling it an “all-hands-on-deck event.” Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy stated that the agency would examine multiple factors, including the environment, the aircraft involved, and human actions leading up to the crash.

“We have not recovered the flight data recorders yet. We know they’re there. They are underwater. This is not unusual for the NTSB, we have many times recovered flight data recorders in water,” Homendy said.

NTSB officials have cautioned that it is too early to determine the exact cause of the collision. They aim to release a preliminary report within 30 days but have assured that any urgent safety concerns will be addressed immediately.

“If we find something that is a significant issue that warrants immediate action, we will not hesitate to make those recommendations and make them public," said NTSB member Todd Inman.

The agency has already begun recovering wreckage, including parts of the helicopter, which are being stored in a hangar at the airport for further examination. Meanwhile, Washington’s fire and emergency department has deployed divers to search for additional aircraft components, with further searches planned for Friday. So far, over 25 bodies have been recovered from the crash site.

With input from agencies