The plane collided with a helicopter (Image: Getty)
An air traffic controller was allegedly given the job of two people after another worker clocked off early on the evening of the deadly crash involving an American Airlines jet and US military helicopter in Washington, DC, according to a report.
Airplane and helicopter traffic is normally handled by two controllers until 9:30 pm, after which the two jobs are distilled into one due to lessened air traffic, requiring a single person to take on both duties.
But a supervisor allegedly merged the two jobs ahead of the allotted changeover time, a source told The New York Times.
A preliminary report from The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) claimed staffing levels were “not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic” before the two aircraft collided on Wednesday night at around 8.53pm local time.
A senior Army official who spoke to newspaper on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing inquiry urged caution in making any assessments until the helicopter’s black box could be recovered and analysed, alongside other forensic data.
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The passenger plane was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members while the Black Hawk helicopter had three soldiers on board.
Authorities have since said they don’t believe anyone survived, and the search operation became one of recovery on Thursday.
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