n Friday, reports broke that an air traffic control supervisor allowed a controller to leave their post early at Reagan National Airport, just before the fatal mid-air collision between an American Airlines jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter. According to NBC Washington, one controller was left to handle both airplane and helicopter traffic on that fateful night. Reportedly, it is “allowable” but not “optimal” for one person to perform both jobs. Matt reported that a preliminary Federal Aviation Administration report detailed that staffing was “not normal” at Reagan Airport when the crash occurred. Additionally, there are reports that the helicopter may have been on an unapproved route before the crash, as Matt noted. Since then, the FAA has indefinitely closed routes to most helicopter traffic near Reagan National Airport as an investigation continues.