FAA revising air traffic control tower staffing rules at DCA: report

WASHINGTON - The rules inside the control tower at Reagan National Airport are getting stricter, according to a new report. It comes after the deadly mid-air collision in January that killed 67 people.

The report, published by the Wall Street Journal, indicates that staffing rules at DCA are getting tighter, with aviation leaders specifically looking into the number of people inside the air traffic control tower at certain times.

The backstory:

At the time of the Jan. 29 crash involving an American Airlines jet and a Black Hawk helicopter, there was just one person in the tower controlling both planes and helicopters. Aviation experts say this shouldn't be a combined position but it does happen.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the Federal Aviation Authority wants a "stand-alone controller overseeing helicopter traffic more consistently at the airport." 

What they're saying:

FOX 5 reached out to the FAA and a spokesperson is emphasizing the importance of having someone staffed to cover helicopters at Reagan. They also want to elevate "the level of the approving authority for combining the position to the facility manager." 

So, basically, a high-level supervisor now has to give the "OK."

The FAA has emphasized the importance of staffing the helicopter position in accordance with the facility SOP and elevated the level of the approving authority for combining the position to the facility manager.

Local perspective:

FOX 5 spoke with retired American Airlines pilot and aviation expert Richard Levy about the FAA’s latest change.

"The decision to separate helicopter traffic from the control of the take-off and landing at DCA is a good safe decision in my opinion," Levy said. "I think that when there is any kind of heavy traffic, that’s basically common sense from early morning hours from 6 to 7 a.m. to about 10 p.m. local, you should have two controllers, one working helicopter traffic if there is any, and one controller of course working the take-off and landings."

Helicopter ban near DCA

The backstory:

Since the Jan. 29 crash, the FAA has banned most helicopters from flying near the airport except for Medevac, police helicopters and the president's Marine One.

This restriction, initially temporary, could become a permanent ban. Aviation officials are currently reviewing helicopter flight routes and their proximity to commercial air traffic at Reagan National.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the FAA is considering extending the ban, though any permanent change would require approval from other federal agencies. 

"If that does become a reality, they have got to involve the DOT Secretary, and the DOD Secretary because the DOD and a bunch of other government agencies have long used these helicopter routes," said Andrew Tangel, a correspondent for the journal.