The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is sending crisis counselors to the control tower at National Reagan Airport in Washington DC and reviewing the number of arrivals that controllers are expected to deal with after a bloody brawl broke out between two on-duty staffers last week.
A 39-year-old air traffic controller involved in the incident has been arrested and charged with assault and battery following the March 27 that reportedly left blood splattered across one of the computer consoles that control flight movements at the airport.
Sources say the fight is a sign of just how much stress the small team of controllers is under at DCA following the January 29 mid-air collision between a Blackhawk helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet on final approach to the airport that tragically killed all 67 passengers and crew on both aircraft.
In the aftermath of the accident, the controllers have been under intense pressure to safely manage the heavy air traffic around the airport, while the FAA has come under fire for not providing enough support to the stressed team who witnessed the harrowing moment that the aircraft collided in January.
Without specifically referencing the physical altercation or the criticism it has faced, the FAA said in a statement on Wednesday that it was “increasing support and oversight for the air traffic controller team at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).”
The FAA also said it was “evaluating current arrival rates at DCA,” which could result in flights being cut to the airport to allow more time between planes landing at the airport.
“To support the well-being of controllers, a Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) team will visit DCA in early April, offering confidential support for staff following stressful events,” the statement continued.
“The FAA will also conduct regular wellness checks at the facility.”
In addition, the FAA said it would increase the number of supervisors at the control tower and review whether the number of front-line controllers was proportional to the workload currently faced by the team.
At present, most aircraft arrivals are “disproportionately” concentrated in the last 30 minutes of every hour, so the FAA could try to spread arrivals across each hour in order to alleviate pressure on the control tower.
In its preliminary report into January’s fatal accident at DCA, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) revealed that there had been more than 15,000 close calls between helicopters and commercial airplanes in a three-year period up to 2024.
The FAA has already permanently shuttered the helicopter route that was being used by the Blackhawk helicopter in January’s accident, although VIP and police helicopter movements are still allowed along the route.
The closure of helicopter Route 4 has also not stopped close calls at the airport. Last Friday, a potentially catastrophic accident between a Delta Air Lines passenger airplane taking off from DCA and a US Air Force fighter jet was narrowly avoided when a collision alarm sounded in the cockpit of the Delta jet.
As the Delta jet was still in its initial ascent out of DCA, an audible aircraft collision alarm, known as a TCAS alert, sounded in the cockpit.
The TCAS alert was triggered by an Air Force T-38 jet that was flying at just 800 feet in the direction of Arlington National Cemetery for a flyover, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
As well as the TCAS alert, the pilots of both aircraft received orders to take evasive actions from an air traffic controller who was in the tower at National Reagan Airport.
Thank you Joe Biden and Pete wonderful mess you left the air control system. And Pete is thinking of running again for President?