Air Traffic Controller Left Early Before Deadly American Airlines Crash, Trump Blames 'Diversity'.
A series of catastrophic failures are being uncovered in the lead-up to the midair collision between American Airlines Flight 5342 and a military Black Hawk helicopter over Washington DC on Wednesday night. The incident, which claimed the lives of 67 people, including three soldiers, occurred as the American Airlines plane, carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, was approaching Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport shortly before 9pm ET.
According to a preliminary internal FAA report and insider sources, an air traffic controller was allowed to leave their post early, leaving one controller responsible for managing both helicopter and plane traffic. The duties are typically handled by two controllers from 10am until 9:30pm, but after this time, the responsibilities are usually combined due to decreased traffic. However, the supervisor reportedly decided to combine the duties earlier than scheduled, which led to a single controller managing both planes and helicopters at a crucial moment. The FAA report highlighted that this staffing configuration "was not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic."
It remains unclear why the supervisor allowed the controller to leave early, just before the collision. In addition, it has emerged that the Black Hawk helicopter, carrying three soldiers, may have deviated from its approved flight path. Insiders confirmed that the Sikorsky H-60 helicopter was flying higher than it should have been and was not adhering to its assigned route. The helicopter was approved to fly no higher than 200 feet along the east side of the Potomac River to avoid the passenger jet. However, sources revealed that the helicopter pilot, after confirming sight of the American Airlines flight, did not follow the designated route and instead veered half a mile off course, flying at an altitude above 300 feet.
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A senior Army official told The New York Times that the Black Hawk pilot was familiar with the flight path and aware of the strict altitude and route restrictions. As the American Airlines plane neared the runway, the flight crew requested a change in their landing runway, according to the FAA report. The plane, a Bombardier CRJ700, had been cleared to land on Runway 1, the main runway, but the air traffic controller asked the pilot to land on Runway 33, a move which sources said was routine, especially for regional jets.
However, five current and former air traffic controllers told The Times that the lone controller in the tower should have been more proactive in managing the two aircraft's separation. The darkness, they said, could have made it difficult for both pilots to gauge their distance from one another. Reagan National Airport has been chronically understaffed, with only 19 fully certified controllers as of September 2023, well below the target of 30. By late 2023, the staffing had improved slightly, with 24 of 28 positions filled, but the airport continues to face challenges with staffing levels and high turnover.
The collision resulted in a fiery crash visible on dashcam footage from cars driving along nearby highways before both aircraft plunged into the Potomac River. On Thursday morning, officials confirmed that all 67 people on board the plane and the helicopter had died, and the mission was switched from rescue to recovery. Later that night, investigators made a breakthrough when they recovered two black boxes from the American Airlines flight. The flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder will be instrumental in helping authorities understand the moments leading up to the disaster.
The identities of the victims have begun to emerge, of the flight crew. Captain Jonathan Campos, 34, and First Officer Samuel Lilley were in charge of the flight from Wichita, Kansas, to Washington. Among the victims were individuals from Russia, China, Germany, and the Philippines, including young figure skaters who had been traveling to the U.S.
