DCA tower staffing was 'not normal' during crash, preliminary FAA report finds [View all]

NBC live updates

A preliminary FAA report on the collision found that air traffic control tower staffing at Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) was "not normal" for the amount of air traffic and for the time of day, a source with knowledge of the situation told NBC News.

The tower typically has a controller that focuses specifically on helicopter traffic. But at the time of the crash last night, the source said, one controller at DCA was overseeing both airplane and helicopter activity.

FAA guidelines do allow for this position to be combined, permitting one controller to control both airplanes and helicopters.

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