Sometime before an American Airlines flight crashed into an Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River, an air traffic controller was assigned both duties by their supervisor, the New York Times reported,citing a source briefed on staffing and an internal preliminary FAA safety report.

Usually, the duties of handling helicopter traffic and managing planes are divided from 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the airport, the Times reported. After 9:30 p.m., when traffic slows down, those duties may be combined.