Control tower was understaffed during the Washington mid-air collision: Report

The air traffic control tower at Washington’s Reagan National airport was understaffed during the deadly collision between a passenger aircraft and an army helicopter, reports news agency AFP citing US media reports.
The New York Times cited an internal preliminary Federal Aviation Administration safety report stating that staffing levels were “not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic”.
The report indicated that a single controller was simultaneously managing helicopter traffic and directing aircraft landings and take-offs, duties typically assigned to two separate controllers.
Meanwhile, NTSB safety board member Todd Inman at a Thursday briefing said that they would not speculate or determine the cause until their investigation was complete.
The incident took place on Wednesday late evening when the airliner was approaching for landing after a standard flight from Wichita, Kansas.
Reagan National, situated near downtown Washington, the White House and the Pentagon, witness heavy air traffic with constant civilian and military aircraft movements.
“I think there are a lot of speculations this stage, and the investigation hasn’t really begun,” Hassan Shahidi, chief executive of the independent Flight Safety Foundation, told AFP.
He further explained that different shifts are organised with appropriate staffing based on traffic volume, stating that controllers may handle varying numbers of frequencies depending on circumstances, traffic levels and timing, particularly at 9:00 pm when traffic typically decreases.