Control tower staffing was ‘not normal’ during deadly Washington crash: FAA report
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Emergency crews respond to the crash site after a passenger jet collided with a helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Jan 30.
PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
Campbell Robertson, Mitch Smith, Sydney Ember and Emily Steel
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WASHINGTON - Staffing at the air traffic control tower at Ronald Reagan National Airport was “not normal” during the deadly late-night crash between a passenger jet and an army helicopter that killed 67 people, a preliminary Federal Aviation Administration report said, as bodies of the victims were being recovered on Jan 30 from the icy Potomac River.
The internal report reviewed by The New York Times said the controller who was handling helicopters in the airport’s vicinity on Jan 29 night was also instructing planes that were landing and departing from its runways – jobs typically assigned to two different controllers.
President Donald Trump promised on Jan 30 that a thorough investigation would be conducted, while also engaging in political attacks on his predecessors.
Among the victims of Flight 5342 were several figure skaters from the United States and Russia who had attended the national figure skating championships in Wichita, Kansas, where the American Eagle flight originated.
American Airlines said 60 passengers and four crew members were aboard the jet, and the military said the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter was on a routine training flight. The two collided around 9pm while approaching Reagan National Airport.
Shortly before the crash, the jet’s pilots were asked to pivot their landing route from one runway to another, according to a person briefed on the event and conversation overheard on audio recordings of conversations between an air traffic controller and the pilots.
Mr Robert Isom, the CEO of American Airlines, said the pilot of the jet was experienced, but provided no additional details. Two army officials confirmed that the pilots of the helicopter – one woman, one man – and a male staff sergeant were killed in the collision.
The night was clear, and both the plane and the helicopter were following standard flight paths, according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. There had not been a breakdown in communication between the control tower and the two aircraft, he said.
The crash confronts the new Trump administration
