“Only one air traffic control worker was managing the helicopters and some planes from the Reagan National Airport tower at the time of the collision, a job normally done by two people, two sources told CBS News Thursday.”
About 2% of U.S. airport towers meet staffing targets for fully trained controllers. The country is 3,000 to 4,000 controllers short. The FAA’s internal standard is lower than what it agreed with the union, and most towers miss that too. Hiring 2,000 today yields about 1,000 certified controllers years from now.