|
FAA report indicated that staffing at the DCA Air Traffic Control tower was 'not normal'
Scroll down for attached video:
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.
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.
Posted by: Woodrow 2025-01-31 |
|||
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=738021 |