Air traffic controller ‘left early’ on night plane collided with a helicopter in Washington DC AN air traffic controller was allowed to leave their post early on the night a plane collided with a helicopter in Washington DC, it was claimed yesterday.
But according to The New York Times, that night an air traffic control supervisor left their post early.
The newspaper reported the Federal Aviation Administration found that staffing levels in the air traffic control tower at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport were “not normal” for that time of day.
The supervisor was said to have clocked off before the end of their shift on Wednesday night, leaving the air traffic control tower undermanned.
It is understood the military pilots had requested a predetermined flight path, referred to as Route 4, from air traffic control.
