Aircraft

Summary

On 23 March 2011 at about 04:04 local time, a an aircraft of an unrecorded type, operated by FAA Washington Flight Program, was involved in an incident near Arlington, Virginia, United States. The number of people on board was not recorded. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

23 March 2011 at 04:04

Classification

Incident

Location

Arlington, Virginia, United States

Nearest airport

Washington National Airport (DCA)

Coordinates

38.8900, -77.1004

Aircraft

Not recorded

Registration

Not recorded

Operator

FAA Washington Flight Program

Operating rule

Part 121: Air Carrier

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Not recorded

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

OPS11IA401

Injuries not recorded.

The tower controller's loss of consciousness induced by lack of sleep, fatigue resulting from working successive midnight shifts, and air traffic control scheduling practices.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

Between approximately 0004 and 0028 local time, an air traffic control service interruption occurred at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport when two air carrier aircraft, a helicopter, an airport operations vehicle, and controllers at the Federal Aviation Administration's Potomac Terminal Radar Approach Control were unable to establish contact with the supervisory controller working alone in the control tower. Two air carrier aircraft landed during the period without tower contact. Postincident investigation revealed that the controller on duty had the necessary preconditions for the development of fatigue at the time of the event, specifically acute sleep loss in the 24 hours before the event and circadian disruption as a result of working the midnight shift.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.