U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is calling for a study on control tower staffing levels, after two aircraft landed at Washington National Airport in the early hours of March 23 without being able to contact the lone controller on duty.
As well as the nationwide staffing study, LaHood has directed the FAA to assign two controllers to the DCA tower on the midnight shift. “It is not acceptable to have just one controller in the tower managing air traffic in this critical airspace,” LaHood says.
The incident occurred just after midnight. According to a Washington Post story, the aircraft involved were an American Airlines Boeing 737 and a United Airlines Airbus A320.
The FAA confirmed that two aircraft landed safely “after failing to establish communications with the air traffic control tower at the airport.” The aircraft were assisted by controllers at a terminal radar approach control facility at another location. The agency says it is investigating the incident, and is “looking into staffing issues and whether existing procedures were followed appropriately.”
The single controller assigned to the midnight to 6 a.m. shift at DCA was actually a supervisor. Very few aircraft use the airport during these hours.
Controller staffing levels have been a contentious issue in recent years, as the FAA has dealt with a spike in retirement numbers. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association has previously criticized the agency for inadequately staffing many facilities, though NATCA and the FAA are working more collaboratively now on issues such as staffing.
Photo: Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority
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