New safety concerns over more recent incidents at DCA could be making already anxious travelers feel even more nervous. News4’s Adam Tuss reports.
The Federal Aviation Administration says it's increasing support and oversight for the air traffic controller team at D.C.'s airport two months after the deadly midair collision between an American Airlines plane and Army helicopter.
The FAA said it will add two more operational supervisors to the staff, review controller staffing numbers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and review DCA's arrival rate of aircraft per hour. Arrivals are disproportionately concentrated in the last 30 minutes of each hour, the FAA said.
A stress management team is also set to visit DCA early this month to offer support for staff, and the FAA said it will conduct regular wellness checks.
DCA has seen passenger traffic drop significantly since the midair collision on Jan. 29.
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Recent incidents of aircraft flying too close and a kite hitting a plane near Reagan National have potentially added to travelers' anxiety since the deadly crash.
In addition, air traffic controllers at the DCA tower got into a physical fight last week, a source familiar with the incident told News4. The FAA said one controller was placed on administrative leave. Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) police told NBC News a 39-year-old man from Upper Marlboro, Maryland, was arrested after the incident and was charged with assault and battery.
