FOX NEWS -- According to a report, the controller who was handling helicopters was also instructing planes that were landing and departing from runways.

An internal preliminary report from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reportedly showed that the number of staff members working at the air control tower at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, was "not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic."

On Wednesday night, an American Airlines plane and Army helicopter collided near Reagan National Airport outside of Washington, D.C., and all 67 people onboard both aircraft are presumed to be dead.

The Associated Press obtained a report which showed one air traffic controller was working two positions at the time of the crash. 

Typically, the two assignments are split between two air traffic controllers, not just one.

The position configuration was not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic," the report says.

The FAA did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s questions and request for comment on the matter.

The air control tower at Reagan airport has been understaffed for years with 19 fully certified controllers as of September 2023. However, staffing targets set by the FAA and the controllers’ union call for 30.