NTSB questions flight training procedures during congressional hearings over January plane crash

(WASHINGTON) — The National Transportation Safety Board, during hearings on Thursday, grilled officials from the Army, air traffic controllers and members from the Federal Aviation Administration over protocols following the January deadly air collision between a Black Hawk helicopter and a passenger jet approaching Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA.)

The hearing, the second of three days, focused on the training guidance of the parties involved in the Jan. 29 incident that resulted in the deaths of 67 people. NTSB started the daylong hearing examining the responsibilities and readiness of DCA’s air traffic controllers.

Clark Allen, the former operations manager of the control tower at DCA, was asked Thursday about the training for the air traffic controllers. Allen said they have been trained to flag a supervisor and ask for additional help if they are being overwhelmed, but said there is no training for supervisors to proactively look out for that pile up of duties.

Officials acknowledged Wednesday that high turnover among air traffic controllers was a serious issue.

On Thursday, officials said air traffic controllers requested fewer flights at DCA. A memo sent by controllers who manage the DCA airspace to their superiors in 2023 requested them to lower the arrival rates at the airport. Bryan Lehman, Potomac Tracon’s Air Traffic Manager, who sent the memo on behalf of the controllers said it “died right there.”

Nick Fuller, the FAA’s acting deputy chief operating officer of operations, testified Thursday that it is up to the pilot to maintain visual separation while in the air.

“It is the pilot’s responsibility, but air traffic controllers will go the extra mile to make sure we are providing extra information as necessary,” he said.

Later, asked if air traffic control should have alerted the crew of the jet about the copter, Fuller said yes.

“I think an issue we have is efficiency, you know, being challenged with safety and its a fine line and that demand is pretty high,” James Jarvis, another FAA official said. “Controllers do a remarkable job there, but it’s a pretty high threshold.”

NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said the NTSB will be digging further into the pressures controllers face as they manage the DCA airspace.

“There was a lot of pressure that night, and the local controller, when we interviewed that individual, said they felt it was a heavy trap, heavy workload, about a four out of five. So that is a lot, and something we need to look at as part of this,” she said.

At one point of the hearing, Homendy made some of the witness panelists switch their seats after she said it was witnessed that “one of the supervisors had elbowed an FAA employee mid-sentence.”

“When we bring people here, we want them to feel comfortable and to be forthcoming and to provide us the most, to the provide us the information they want to provide us and answer our questions,” Homendy said.

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