Retired commercial airline pilot Scott Pattillo and aviation attorney Michael Pearson explain why control systems are at a 'breaking point' on 'The Ingraham Angle.'

Listen to the air traffic control at Ronald Reagan National Airport speak to the Army helicopter pilots shortly before the deadly crash.

Less than 30 seconds before the crash, an air traffic controller asks the helicopter if it has the arriving plane in sight: “PAT-25, do you have the CRJ in sight?”

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, an ex-Army Black Hawk pilot, said communications between airline and military pilots usually go through air traffic control.

A source tells NBC News that, according to a preliminary FAA report, a single air traffic controller was handling both planes and helicopters when the crash occurred. Normally at the D.C. tower at that time of day and for the volume of air traffic,

Amid increased concerns about aviation safety, here's how many air traffic controllers there are in the U.S., and how the hiring process works.

The ABC7 I-Team has been reporting on air traffic controller staffing issues for years, and Wednesday night's tragic plane crash near Reagan National Airport has highlighted the ongoing issue.

The staffing at the air control tower at Reagan National Airport was "not normal" when an American Airlines plane and Army helicopter collided on Wednesday night, a report shows.

Air traffic controller 'left shift early' before American Airlines disaster - None of the 67 passengers and crew are believed to have survived, as investigators work on ‘black boxes’ found in the ruin

The embers were still burning at the crash that killed 67 people on Wednesday when the president took to the podium to name the culprit: affirmative action.

The recent midair collision near Reagan Washington National Airport, which killed 67 people, highlights long-standing concerns over the airport’s crowded airspace. With both passenger planes and military aircraft operating near federal sites like the White House,