An air traffic controller was allegedly given the job of two people after another worker clocked off early on the evening of the deadly crash involving an American Airlines jet and US military helicopter in Washington, DC, according to a report.
Airplane and helicopter traffic is normally handled by two controllers until 9:30 pm, after which the two jobs are distilled into one due to lessened air traffic, requiring a single person to take on both duties.
But a supervisor allegedly merged the two jobs ahead of the allotted changeover time, a source told The New York Times.
A preliminary report from The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) claimed staffing levels were “not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic” before the two aircraft collided on Wednesday night at around 8.53pm local time.
The NYT reports that a chronic shortage of air traffic controllers has forced many to work six-day weeks and 10-hour days, with multiple federal agencies have warned that that the fatiguing schedule could impede controllers’ abilities to do their jobs properly.
However, little is known about the circumstances that led up the crash, as investigations by US authorities continue.
A senior Army official who spoke to newspaper on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing inquiry urged caution in making any assessments until the helicopter’s black box could be recovered and analysed, alongside other forensic data.
A spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Authority, a government agency which maintains and operates air traffic control and navigation systems, says it could not comment on the ongoing investigation, which the National Transportation Safety Board is leading.
The passenger plane, which had departed from Wichita, Kansas, and was bound for US capital, was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members while the Black Hawk helicopter had three soldiers on board.
Authorities have since said they don’t believe anyone survived, and the search operation became one of recovery on Thursday. At least 40 bodies had been recovered as of 5:30 p.m. ET, a law enforcement source told CBS News.
The horror crash has triggered the immediate shutdown of all runways and the suspension of all flights at the DCA Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport near the US capital.
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