Emily Steel

Something bad is going to happen.

Something bad is going to happen.

That's a really good question. There have been various studies. Controllers supposedly have more time between shifts to sleep. But when you talk to people in the industry, what they told us today is very little, if anything has changed. And you saw some of the signs of this unfold on Wednesday night.

That's a really good question. There have been various studies. Controllers supposedly have more time between shifts to sleep. But when you talk to people in the industry, what they told us today is very little, if anything has changed. And you saw some of the signs of this unfold on Wednesday night.

The air traffic control tower at Reagan Airport is chronically understaffed and has been for years. The data that we pulled shows that there were 19 controllers working in that tower. That's far below the target level of 30. And that's according to data from September 2023. It's the most recent data that we found available.

The air traffic control tower at Reagan Airport is chronically understaffed and has been for years. The data that we pulled shows that there were 19 controllers working in that tower. That's far below the target level of 30. And that's according to data from September 2023. It's the most recent data that we found available.

What we know also is, according to this internal FAA safety report that we got our hands on today, it says the position configuration was not normal for the time of day and the volume of traffic. And it's not just a labor issue. It's not just the fact that these people have been working six days a week in 10-hour shifts for a long period of time.

What we know also is, according to this internal FAA safety report that we got our hands on today, it says the position configuration was not normal for the time of day and the volume of traffic. And it's not just a labor issue. It's not just the fact that these people have been working six days a week in 10-hour shifts for a long period of time.

But the safety of passengers flying in airplanes is in the hands of these controllers. And so when they're tired, when they make mistakes, it can be catastrophic. Right. And I just want to say, just as an aside, the way that I actually found out about this crash was I got a message last night. It was at 9.50 p.m. from an air traffic controller that I spent a lot of time talking to in 2023.

But the safety of passengers flying in airplanes is in the hands of these controllers. And so when they're tired, when they make mistakes, it can be catastrophic. Right. And I just want to say, just as an aside, the way that I actually found out about this crash was I got a message last night. It was at 9.50 p.m. from an air traffic controller that I spent a lot of time talking to in 2023.

And he said, I told you.

And he said, I told you.

I've been yelling about this for years. Nobody wanted to listen to us.

I've been yelling about this for years. Nobody wanted to listen to us.

I know. He also said, he said, I've been terrified of this exact reality for years. Here it is. Absolutely horrific. And that was the thing, Natalie. When we were doing this reporting, these air traffic controllers are not supposed to talk to reporters. It's against their rules. And you would have been shocked to know how many people violated that policy and picked up the phone and called us.

I know. He also said, he said, I've been terrified of this exact reality for years. Here it is. Absolutely horrific. And that was the thing, Natalie. When we were doing this reporting, these air traffic controllers are not supposed to talk to reporters. It's against their rules. And you would have been shocked to know how many people violated that policy and picked up the phone and called us.

And the reason why they spoke to us is because... They already had been ringing alarm bells inside the FAA, inside the system for years. They filed internal reports. They filed safety reports. They talked to their supervisors. And they said they just couldn't get anybody to pay attention. And that's why they talked to us.

And the reason why they spoke to us is because... They already had been ringing alarm bells inside the FAA, inside the system for years. They filed internal reports. They filed safety reports. They talked to their supervisors. And they said they just couldn't get anybody to pay attention. And that's why they talked to us.