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“He obviously sees the issue at hand and if he didn’t, I’m sure people that work in the Department of Transportation and the FAA informed him that there is an issue with staffing and air traffic control and I’m hoping they can work on it immediately,” Brigida told the Telegraph, expressing hope that President Trump will address the FAA’s staffing crisis.
The FAA’s hiring policies date back to the Obama administration, when it eliminated an aptitude-based hiring model in favor of a subjective assessment designed to boost minority representation. Critics argue this shift sidelined highly qualified candidates in favor of applicants meeting diversity goals.
When asked if these hiring practices could have contributed to a fatal air traffic collision, Brigida responded, “Yes, that’s kind of accurate.”
New reports indicate that Reagan National Airport had only 19 full-time controllers at the time of the crash, well below the 30 recommended by union officials. Additionally, an initial FAA report found that the controller on duty was handling multiple responsibilities, a factor that may have led to critical miscommunications. “The position configuration was not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic,” the report stated.
Further complicating the situation, reports suggest that the Army Black Hawk helicopter involved in the crash was flying well above the mandated 200-foot limit. Investigators are now exploring whether the use of separate radio frequencies for helicopters and commercial aircraft contributed to miscommunication between the control tower and the doomed aircraft.
The lawsuit against the FAA is currently being contested by the Department of Transportation, but with President Trump’s administration taking a firm stance on diversity-driven hiring policies, change may be on the horizon. Sean Duffy, Trump’s newly appointed Secretary of Transportation, did not mince words, calling the crash an “absolutely preventable tragedy.”
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In response to the incident, the FAA has issued an indefinite suspension on helicopter traffic over Washington, D.C., as investigators work to determine the exact cause of the deadly collision.
The fallout from this disaster will likely intensify scrutiny on the FAA, with many questioning whether politically driven hiring practices have undermined air traffic safety. As the lawsuit moves forward, the battle over qualifications versus diversity in critical aviation roles is far from over.
