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Fatal Mid-Air Collision Comes on the Heels of Executive Changes

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Meryl Ann Butler
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Helicopter And Commercial Jet Collide Mid-Air at Washington DC's Reagan Airport | 10 News First BREAKING: A commercial plane and a military helicopter have reportedly collided at Washington DC's Reagan Airport, sparking a ...
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The recent mid-air collision near Washington, D.C., has raised significant concerns about air traffic control staffing levels. Reports indicate that at the time of the accident, an air traffic controller was performing the duties of two individuals due to staffing shortages. Additionally, it was noted that there should have been 30 controllers on duty, but only 19 were present. (Ed note: As my husband died in an airplane crash, I am particularly interested in the "preventable"angle, and I am especially concerned about the families of those who perished.)

Here's the timeline:

  • January 20, 2025: The FAA director was reportedly forced out.

  • January 21, 2025: A hiring freeze for air traffic controllers was implemented.

  • January 22, 2025: The Aviation Security Advisory Committee was disbanded.

  • January 28, 2025: A buyout/retirement demand was issued to existing employees.

  • January 29, 2025: The mid-air collision occurred, marking the first such incident in the U.S. in 16 years.

  • Draw your own conclusions. Some commenters have suggested that the US President who initiated these changes should be charged with second degree murder

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    Meryl Ann Butler is an artist, author, educator and OpedNews Managing Editor who has been actively engaged in utilizing the arts as stepping-stones toward joy-filled wellbeing since she was a hippie. She began writing for OpEdNews in Feb, 2004. She became a Senior Editor in August 2012 and Managing Editor in January, (more...)
     

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    4 people are discussing this page, with 12 comments  Post Comment


    Scott Baker

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    Actually, the air traffic controller system has been under-staffed for years. The NY Times ran a front page story about that today:

    Clues From D.C. Plane Crash Suggest Multiple Failures in Aviation Safety

    Clues emerging from the moments before an Army helicopter collided with a passenger jet suggest breakdowns in th...

    And the preliminary FAA report states that one controller was guiding both the helicopter & the plane at the same time. This is technically legal only after 9:30 when traffic is lighter, and the crash happened around 9:00pm.

    Also, today, the Times reports:

    "In a mass email sent to federal employees just before 8:30 p.m. -- almost exactly 24 hours after an air crash in Washington that killed 67 people -- the Office of Personnel Management encouraged F.A.A. workers, including air traffic controllers, to look for new jobs outside of government, where they might have an opportunity to be more productive."

    The blanket order - which former transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg refers to - is to basically encourage ALL government workers to consider quitting, regardless of skill level, seniority, or shortages of staffs at the 1000s of agencies involved. Pete is right about how irresponsible this is, but wrong to say this is a new problem with the FAA. He and Biden had 4 years to fix the well-known shortages too.


    Submitted on Friday, Jan 31, 2025 at 12:29:17 PM

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    Meryl Ann Butler

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    Reply to Scott Baker:   New Content

    Thanks for this info, Scott!

    Submitted on Friday, Jan 31, 2025 at 12:43:30 PM

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    Mark Sashine

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    Reply to Scott Baker:   New Content

    Yes, good point. Very good .

    Submitted on Friday, Jan 31, 2025 at 3:00:13 PM

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    Mary Elizabeth

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    Meryl, while reading online comments I came across a link to an Inspector General report on the FAA.

    This link contains a chart showing a steep decline in hiring air traffic controllers from 2012 to 2020. At any given time, an enormous percentage of the air traffic controllers staff seem to be trainees.

    www.oig.dot.gov

    Submitted on Friday, Jan 31, 2025 at 3:49:38 PM

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    Mary Elizabeth

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    This 2021 article from "Fedweek" speculated on how many federal employees would be forced out by mandatory Covid injections (potentially hundreds of thousands of people).

    Fedweek: Turnover, voluntary or not

    Submitted on Friday, Jan 31, 2025 at 3:56:48 PM

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    Reply to Mary Elizabeth:   New Content

    Apparently, licking Trump's ass now will make those positions quite secure. It will become a KJR.

    Submitted on Friday, Jan 31, 2025 at 4:14:10 PM

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    Meryl Ann Butler

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    Reply to Mary Elizabeth:   New Content

    thanks for the comments and links!

    Submitted on Friday, Jan 31, 2025 at 4:23:40 PM

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    Mary Elizabeth

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    Here is another transportation article about funding, potential defaults, and partisan squabbling while planes drop

    "Transport Topics"

    .ttnews.com/articles/yellen-debt-ceiling-action

    Submitted on Sunday, Feb 2, 2025 at 10:01:48 AM

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    Mary Elizabeth

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    Three planes have dropped in the last few days.

    Here is a video of a US military jet dropping in Alaska, ABC News:

    tu.be/bLVBt3wBsns?si=Y6uwlQ258w6QWjvh

    Submitted on Sunday, Feb 2, 2025 at 10:06:19 AM

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    Here is a CNN link to footage of the DC collision involving a helicopter that was over a hundred feet above the helicopter restriction level, for some reason: CNN exclusive video

    Submitted on Sunday, Feb 2, 2025 at 10:12:10 AM

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    And this is a video of the Philadelphia medical transport dropping a few minutes after takeoff, from CBS:

    tu.be/dE6vZ3EJf_0?si=uHY4r2gQI4YarjWv

    Submitted on Sunday, Feb 2, 2025 at 10:18:06 AM

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    Meryl Ann Butler

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    Reply to Mary Elizabeth:   New Content

    whew!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Submitted on Sunday, Feb 2, 2025 at 2:17:50 PM

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