In lots of ways, the issues at Reagan National's control tower are emblematic of the fraying safeguard that protects flight throughout the United States. A Times examination in 2023 found that close calls involving traveler airplanes occurred, on average, several times every week across the nation. The near misses out on were frequently the result of human mistake by pilots or air traffic controllers.At Reagan National, the busy helicopter corridor around the airport became such a concern that security groups identified conflict points, where the possibility for a crash was greatest, according to three individuals knowledgeable about the meetings.One was over the Potomac when an aircraft was can be found in to land– on Runway 33, the area where the American Airlines jet had been attempting to land when the Army Black Hawk hit.The security groups made a number of propositions, including moving the helicopter routes further east, according to 2 of the people. The helicopter paths did not change.As the safety groups assembled, controllers in the tower were frequently under analysis for allowing planes
to get too close together and stopping working to provide correct directions to pilots.In an effort to reduce the variety of close calls since of controller mistakes, the F.A.A. recognized many locations for improvement.
Those consisted of following more exactly the agency's guidelines for communicating with pilots, keeping safe distances between airplane and providing pilots more specific warnings that another aircraft was close to their flight course or on a possible collision course.Controllers were required to go through additional training to resolve these issues, yet some feared that the workouts did little to deal with the underlying safety issues as near misses out on continued
, the two individuals said.After the close call last Might, the National Transport Safety Board identified in its initial report on the event that there had actually been “security concerns “at the airport's air traffic control service tower related
to”human efficiency” that required additional investigation.”Doing so much, with so little,”Timothy Harman, the control tower's previous leading manager, composed in a LinkedIn post about 6 months earlier,”is a testimony to your dedication and determination.”Source
