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Air traffic control staffing 'not normal' during DC crash - officials

Mallory Moench
BBC News
US Coast Guard/Reuters U.S. Coast Guard, along with other search and rescue teams, operate near debris at the crash site in the Potomac River in a location given as Washington, in the aftermath of the collision of American Eagle flight 5342 and a Black Hawk helicopter that crashed into the Potomac River, U.S. January 30, 2025US Coast Guard/Reuters

Air traffic control staffing was "not normal" at the time of a mid-air collision between a military helicopter and enger plane in Washington, DC that killed 67 people, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has acknowledged.

US media reported that Reagan National Airport tower was understaffed during Wednesday's crash, according to a government report.

"I'll take the Federal Aviation istration (FAA) at their word that it wasn't normal," Duffy said when asked about reports during the FOX News Sunday programme.

So far, 55 victims have been recovered from the Potomac River, with divers continuing to search for 12 more.

There were 64 engers aboard the American Airlines flight when it collided mid-air with an army Black Hawk helicopter carrying three soldiers as crew. There were no survivors.

At the time of the crash, one air traffic control worker was managing helicopters and some planes from the airport, a job normally done by two people, two sources told CBS News, the BBC's US news partner.

Duffy said "that was part of the review process that we have to do".

He explained there was a "consolidation of air traffic controllers an hour before it was supposed to happen during the time of this crash. And so was, what was the appropriateness of that":[]}