A newly surfaced Federal Aviation Administration report has confirmed that the Reagan National Airport air traffic control tower was not fully staffed at the time of a catastrophic midair collision Wednesday evening. The crash between an Army Black Hawk helicopter and a passenger jet over Washington, D.C., left 67 people dead.
FAA regulations require separate controllers for managing helicopters and commercial planes, yet only one person was on duty when the accident occurred. An air traffic control supervisor had reassigned responsibilities, merging both roles before the standard 9:30 p.m. shift change and allowing one controller to leave early. The decision was made despite the high volume of air traffic.
Tower at Reagan has been understaffed for years with only 19 of the 30 certified controllers the FAA calls for. pic.twitter.com/d0GQX4Qtfr
— SUPER DEPLORABLE ULTRA ☢️ NUCLEAR ☢️ KING MAGA Mat (@UltraMAGAMat) January 30, 2025
The collision happened just before 9 p.m. as an American Airlines regional jet from Wichita, Kansas, approached the airport for landing. The aircraft, which carried members of the U.S. Figure Skating team, was struck by a military helicopter conducting a training flight from Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Both aircraft crashed into the Potomac River, where recovery efforts remain ongoing.
The FAA was below DEI quotas for ATC’s at Reagan Airport control tower.
Last night the tower was only 2/3 staffed.
I’ll say it.
Rather than hiring white guys to fill openings they chose to be understaffed. pic.twitter.com/TeH4slRviR
— Grumpy Grandpa 🇺🇸 (@GmbPhoenix) January 31, 2025
The FAA report also reveals that Reagan National has struggled with understaffing for years. The tower currently has 19 certified controllers—far below the recommended 30. A previous FAA assessment had flagged this issue, but no action had been taken to resolve it before the accident.
Incredible clip from March of 2023 on aviation close calls. Buttigieg talked about the rise in close calls at a summit. He's good at talking, it's the doing he struggles with.
Recommendations not being followed. Extremely understaffed. It was just a matter of time. pic.twitter.com/gmvMlULArR
— MAZE (@mazemoore) January 31, 2025
The NYT reports that air traffic controllers have been sleeping, drinking, and getting high on the job. Some have even been violent at the workplace.
Many ATCs are simply unqualified. It isn't just that they're understaffed! pic.twitter.com/PAd5oQYYsv
— Patrick Casey (@restoreorderusa) January 30, 2025
Authorities have recovered both aircraft’s black boxes, which are now being analyzed for further details. Meanwhile, search teams have located dozens of bodies in the river, with additional efforts expected to continue into the coming days.
Understaffed for years…. pic.twitter.com/aYZ82vEo9G
— Chris Miller (@chrismiller88) January 31, 2025
President Donald Trump responded to the disaster by signing an executive order directing a full review of air traffic control staffing and hiring practices. His administration has pointed to ongoing aviation management failures as a contributing factor to the crash.
