WASHINGTON — Federal safety officials are investigating a report that two planes landed at Reagan National Airport without control tower clearance because the air traffic controller was asleep.
An aviation official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the single controller — a supervisor — was scheduled for duty in the tower but had fallen asleep. Wednesday evening, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood directed that two controllers be on duty late at night.
The tower did not respond to pilot requests for landing assistance or to phone calls from controllers elsewhere in the region.
An American Airlines Boeing 737 from Miami with 97 aboard aborted its landing and circled the airport after getting no response from the tower at midnight. Minutes later, a United Airlines Airbus 320 from Chicago with 68 passengers and crew also received no answer.
Both planes landed safely after their pilots took matters into their own hands.
The incident, under review by the National Transportation Safety Board, is the second time in as many years that the tower at Reagan National had gone silent. The previous time, the lone controller on duty left his swipe-card pass key behind when he stepped outside the tower’s secure door and wasn’t able to get back in.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
