The air traffic controller working at the time of the deadly plane-helicopter crash in Washington was doing the work of two people, the Federal Aviation Administration said. 

Staffing in the air traffic control tower at Ronald Reagan National Airport was “not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic,” the FAA found in its preliminary report, according to the New York Times. 

This led to the controller who was handling helicopters in the airport’s vicinity to also be the one in charge of instructing planes landing and departing the runways. The jobs are normally assigned to two people, not one.  

The airport’s air traffic control facilities have been understaffed for years, with only 19 fully certified controllers on deck as of September 2023, according to Congress’ Air Traffic Controller Workforce Plan report. 

The facility should have had 30 on deck, as per the goal set by the FAA and controller’s union.