There are new questions concerning air safety, following the mid-air collision between an American Airlines flight and a military helicopter on Wednesday.
According to an FAA report, one air traffic controller was coordinating helicopter traffic and plane traffic at the time of the collision.
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But former FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt told Scripps News that's not out of the ordinary, given the time of night.
"At noon at (Reagan) National Airport, it's very, very busy," Babbitt said. "There's a lot of helicopter traffic. So, you have somebody devoted purely to coordinating the integration of helicopters into that airspace to work with the people who are controlling the aircraft within that same airspace. At 10:00 at night, this one helicopter, you don't need a fully assigned person. ... To have an airplane and a helicopter with the same person is just not that big a deal."
But long before this incident, concerns existed about air traffic control staffing.
From 2011 to 2023, the number of certified professional air traffic controllers declined by 9%, according to the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, the union representing air traffic controllers.
An FAA report from 2023 notes the 2019 government shutdown "resulted in large hiring and training delays" and says on-the-job training was "significantly reduced" because of the pandemic. A separate report from that year found 77% of critical facilities are staffed below the FAA's threshold.
But the FAA also stressed that its current levels are safe and says it would reduce air traffic before compromising safety in any way.
"The supposed understaffing of the tower is not a true consideration of causation at this point," aviation expert Steve Cowell said.
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Babbitt agrees given what he's learned about the collision so far.
"From what I have heard, it sounds to me like the controller did exactly what he was supposed to do," Babbitt said.
President Trump and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy both stressed on Thursday that flying remains safe.
Babbitt agrees and emphasized the strong work of air traffic controllers.
"The public should have confidence in this air traffic control system," Babbitt said. "I don't think the system's unsafe at all. I think it's by far the safest system to move people."
