Large volumes pose challenges to air traffic control, which has faced severe staffing shortages for years, according to experts.

A preliminary report suggests control tower staffing was inadequate when an American Airlines jet collided with a U.S. Army helicopter, plunging 67 people to their death in the icy Potomac River below.

Authorities believe 67 people are dead as a result of the crash A preliminary safety report from the Federal Aviation Administration reportedly found that air traffic control staffing was abnormally low at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on the evening of Wednesday,

There are no significant delays at local New York airports, including at MacArthur, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Reagan is closed until at least 11 a.m., the airport's website says. The airline’s passengers included figure skaters, coaches and their family who were returning from a camp, the AP said.

A deadly plane crash over the Potomac River near Washington, D.C. canceled flights to and from Ronald Reagan National Airport overnight. The airport reopened around 11 a.m. Thursday, as the search continues for the 64 people on board the American Airlines plane that collided with a U.