This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
The staffing at the Federal Aviation Administration's air traffic control center in Washington, D.C., is under review after one controller reportedly was allowed to leave early, just before Wednesday's midair crash between American Airlines Flight 5342 and a military helicopter.
All 67 aboard the two aircraft are believed to have died.
It was the New York Times that explained one air traffic controller was juggling two jobs at the same time because another worker had left early.
The report said the tragedy "appeared to confirm what pilots, air traffic controllers and safety experts had been warning for years: Growing holes in the aviation system could lead to the kind of crash that left 67 people dead in the Potomac River in Washington."
There were 19 air traffickers assigned to the office, even though union recommendations had been for 30 workers there.
There routinely would be different individuals handling helicopter and passenger jet traffic, and those duties would be handled by one person late in the evening and overnight when traffic numbers are down.
On the night of the crash, those duties were being done by one person, early, as another worker had left early, the report said.
A report from the Daily Mail explained the worker "was reportedly allowed to leave their post early just before American Airlines Flight 5342 collided in midair with a military helicopter over Washington D.C."
The Mail explained it is between 10 a.m. until 9:30 p.m, that different controllers work on passenger jet and helicopter routes.
"After 9:30 p.m. the duties are typically combined and left to one person as the airport sees less traffic later in the night. A supervisor reportedly decided to combine those duties before the scheduled cutoff time however, and allowed one air traffic controller to leave work early."
The FAA has, in fact, confirmed that the staffing there "was not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic," when the accident happened.
Why someone was allowed to clock off early hasn't been revealed.
The report note it would be routine for one person to address both job requirements during a shift change, if traffic is slow, or during breaks.
