Supervisor allegedly allowed early departure

A supervisor at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport reportedly permitted an air traffic controller to leave their shift early, resulting in only one controller managing both plane and helicopter traffic just hours before Wednesday’s catastrophic mid-air collision between a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines passenger jet.

Staffing concerns before the crash

The decision left the control tower understaffed at a critical time, according to a report by The New York Times. Standard protocol requires two controllers to oversee airplane and helicopter movements until 9:30 PM. Still, the premature departure meant a single controller was responsible for both flight paths when the crash occurred shortly before 9 PM local time.

Fatal crash over the Potomac River

The collision sent both aircraft plummeting into the icy waters of the Potomac River. All 64 passengers aboard the American Airlines regional jet and the three soldiers on the Black Hawk are presumed dead, making it one of the deadliest aviation disasters in recent U.S. history.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), in its preliminary findings, acknowledged that a supervisor had merged the duties of handling planes and helicopters earlier than the scheduled shift changeover. This effectively doubled the workload for the remaining controller.

Helicopter may have deviated from flight path

Additional reporting by The New York Times suggests that the Black Hawk helicopter may have been operating outside its approved flight parameters at the time of the crash. The military aircraft was reportedly flying above 300 feet—exceeding the designated ceiling of 200 feet—and was at least half a mile off its approved flight path before the collision.

In response to the crash, the FAA has indefinitely restricted helicopter traffic on certain routes near Reagan National Airport. Investigations are ongoing to determine whether procedural lapses or deviations from flight protocols contributed to the tragic accident.