You have commented 358 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Submit your comments on this article
Government Corruption
FAA report indicated that staffing at the DCA Air Traffic Control tower was 'not normal'
2025-01-31
Scroll down for attached video:
From the NBC News liveblog — scroll through the whole thing.
[NBCnews] DCA tower staffing was 'not normal' during crash, preliminary FAA report finds

A preliminary FAA report on the collision found that air traffic control tower staffing at Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) was "not normal" for the amount of air traffic and for the time of day, a source with knowledge of the situation told NBC News.

The tower typically has a controller that focuses specifically on helicopter traffic. But at the time of the crash last night, the source said, one controller at DCA was overseeing both airplane and helicopter activity.

FAA guidelines do allow for this position to be combined, permitting one controller to control both airplanes and helicopters.
Courtesy of Frank G, the NY Post adds:
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

In that plan, ATC said it is “committed to maximum hiring for the next few years to recover from substantial under-hiring due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the lapse in funding in 2019.”

The Biden-era report also highlighted the agency’s commitment to DEI policies.

“The FAA is fully committed to ensuring equal employment opportunity while maintaining the highest safety standards as outlined in the agency’s Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan 2021-2025,” the report said.

In 2023, the FAA exceeded its hiring target of 1,500 controllers by bringing aboard 1,512 new employees.

The facility should have had 30 on deck, as per the goal set by the FAA and controller’s union. Shortages have caused many controllers to work 10-hour days and six-day weeks.
Courtesy of Skidmark: How Black Hawk safety faults were a ticking time bomb

Posted by:Woodrow

#26  #5 Comedy gold
Posted by: Rex Mundi   2025-01-31 22:38  

#25  #6 That's gold.
Posted by: Rex Mundi   2025-01-31 22:37  

#24  Army Withholds Identity of Female Helicopter Pilot Killed in DCA Crash at request of family
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418   2025-01-31 21:29  

#23  14:38 from X: The FAA has indefinitely shut down all low-altitude helicopter flights near DCA. The FAA was right to take this action, and I expect these restrictions to be in effect until investigations are complete.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418   2025-01-31 21:22  

#22  Ohhhh badanov you're going straight to hell for that one.
Posted by: Besoeker   2025-01-31 16:52  

#21  Congress pretty much calls the shots on the operations of DCA, something the media coverage tends to avoid mentioning.
Posted by: q   2025-01-31 16:31  

#20  I believe the Metro goes all the way to Dulles, now.

Too icky for the elite, I suppose.
Posted by: Bobby   2025-01-31 16:14  

#19  IIRC, when they built Dulles airport, it was supposed to sort of replace Reagan. I think the plan was to eventually shut Reagan down. However, the Congress critters hated the idea of having to go all the way to Dulles when they flew home on the weekend, so they insisted that Reagan stay open.
Posted by: Rambler   2025-01-31 15:35  

#18  From previous source:
When I'm in D.C., I stay on my [house] boat, and I see all of the many, many, many helicopter flights following that same flight path.

I must be the only person who thinks having the center of government adjacent to a waterway connected to the Atlantic seaboard is a major security risk. I wonder about how close a submerged drone could get to the US Capitol.
Posted by: q   2025-01-31 15:34  

#17  If TPTB actually considered "continuity of government" all that important, they would have started dispersing governmental centers all over CONUS decades ago. They've done squat.
Posted by: q   2025-01-31 15:30  

#16  More from above interview, I added emphasis where appropriate:
Q: There has been a lot of concern in the industry over a spike in near-collisions, but most of that focus has been on collisions on the ground. Has the danger of midair collisions been under-appreciated?

A: This is an incredibly congested airspace. First off, if the military wants to run training missions, they could run them between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., when Washington National has noise reductions in place and traffic is dramatically reduced. I don't see any reason to be running training missions during peak hours. I believe that there is a lot of unnecessary military transport in that corridor.


I read a comment that military considers it necessary to train helicopter crews to function well around DC in case of a crisis threatening "continuity of government". Still there's no justification in sandwiching training missions into the most congested airline space in the USA. Congress is a do-nothing branch of our government, only interested in cashing every paycheck and collecting every benefit they can get their hands on. Even when the lives of Congress critters and their families are on the line, Congress does (and usually doesn't do) whatever it likes. Prove me wrong.
Posted by: q   2025-01-31 15:27  

#15  Comments from people who should know are popping up all over, e.g.
It’s no secret in Washington — in the halls of Congress and various agencies that call the city home — that D.C.’s airspace is “incredibly congested.”

That’s what former House Transportation and Infrastructure Chair Peter DeFazio said..
SOURCE
Posted by: q   2025-01-31 15:20  

#14  Lots of issues came together that night to create this accident. First, both pilot and copilot of the Blackhawk were low time aviators. The instructor pilot was a 1,000 hour pilot, really low time for an IP. The other pilot was at 500 hours. She was probably only a year out of flight school. Both very junior for fluing in a complex environment.
There is a lot of chatter about the helo being at 400 feet, a hundred feet above their ceiling. There is no word yet on the airliner's altitude, was it above the floor for the approach? Or in the tube like it should be. Allowing two aircraft to get within 100 feet of each other in flight is a no go. The helo was flying outside the corridor, it appears the helo was further away from the airport that the corridor allows. This should have given them better distance in altitude, but we will see.
The controller being sent home early placing the burden on a single controller will most likely become another contributing factor.
Lastly, a few years ago there was a change allowing the sequencing of aircraft in a control zone to be closer, meaning less time between aircraft landing. This causes a more complex environment for controllers and pilots.
All of these seem to be, or could be considered, contributing factors that need to be investigated and I do believe the NTSB will.

Posted by: 49 Pan   2025-01-31 13:10  

#13  Chief Warrant Officer 2, Andrew Eaves has been identified as the pilot on board the Black Hawk Army helicopter.

The crew chief was named as father-of-one Ryan O'Hara.

The female co-pilot has yet to be named.
Posted by: Skidmark   2025-01-31 12:03  

#12  The "instructor" (pilot has been identified and seems solid); the co-pilot (presumably being instructed) has not been publicly identified. Presumably the instructee was at the controls.
Posted by: Mercutio   2025-01-31 11:27  

#11  I'm still not seeing the names of the helo instructor pilot and the pilot being evaluated. The name of the crew chief is easy to find though. Why?
Posted by: Clem+Elmish4239   2025-01-31 10:50  

#10  Trump Calls Out The FAA For DEI
Posted by: Skidmark   2025-01-31 09:57  

#9  Trump appoints new acting FAA administrator in wake of DCA plane crash
Posted by: Skidmark   2025-01-31 09:53  

#8  Another plane almost crashed into a helicopter near Reagan airport, day before collision
Posted by: Skidmark   2025-01-31 09:10  

#7  
Posted by: badanov   2025-01-31 09:02  

#6  
Posted by: badanov   2025-01-31 09:00  

#5  
Posted by: badanov   2025-01-31 08:56  

#4  Unconfirmed rumors that the helo pilot was recent M2F trans.
Posted by: Gloluger Pelosi1518   2025-01-31 08:15  

#3  Ok, I'll say it.

Is this a tragic instance where FAA DEI meets DoD DEI ?
Posted by: Besoeker   2025-01-31 04:24  

#2  
It boils down to DEI,
Democrat Employed Idiots.

The O'Biden-era report highlighted the agency’s commitment to DEI policies.
Where the O'Biden Admin hired 1,512 new FAA DEI employees.

QUESTION: Should any hire for a position involving life or death decisions be anything less than STRICTLY THE BEST Person for the job?

What next, an A. I. Air Traffic Controller App written by the CCP, and sold by Mikey Squish?
Posted by: NN2N1   2025-01-31 04:20  

#1  Conducting a Helo Night Vission Goggle (NVG) approach to National doesn't seem to pass the common sense test. What about BWI, Andrews, AP Hill, or Davis at Belvoir (origin point) ?

Must be a reason. What is it ?

Will this be enough to end military access to National ?

Posted by: Besoeker   2025-01-31 04:19  

00:00