US plane collision searching operation

The New York Times has reported that an aviation authority internal report suggests staffing at the air traffic control tower at the time of Wednesday’s midair collision near Washington was “not normal.” The New York Times said on Thursday that it had reviewed an internal preliminary report from the US Federal Aviation Administration.

It said that according to the report, the air traffic controller who was handling helicopters in the airport’s vicinity was also instructing planes that were landing and departing from its runways jobs typically assigned to two people.

The report pointed out that staffing at the air traffic control tower was “not normal for the time of the day and volume of traffic.” The New York Times added that many air control towers in the country have been understaffed for years.