A preliminary FAA report indicated that staffing at the DCA Air Traffic Control tower was “not normal” at the time of the helicopter-plane collision.
According to NBC News, at the time of the collision, one controller was overseeing both helicopter and airplane traffic.
Typically, one controller focuses on helicopter activity.
An American Airlines flight carrying approximately 64 souls collided with a Blackhawk helicopter near Washington D.C. Reagan National Airport (DCA) late Wednesday evening.