Sleeping controller on duty at the Reagan National

A controller of air traffic at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport falls asleep duty early Wednesday morning, leaving the silent control tower and forcing the pilots of two aircraft trade on their own territory, the National Transportation Safety Board said today.

The controller, who had 20 years of experience, including 17 to the Reagan National, was suspended Thursday earlier by the Federal Aviation Administration as continues his investigation.

The report of the NTSB, which does not refer to the controller, said he had worked its fourth quarter consecutive night, from 10 a.m. to 6 a.m., and that "the fatigue human issues are one of the regions studied."

"I am determined to go to the bottom of this situation for the public safety," FAA administrator Randy Babbitt said in a statement announcing the suspension of the controller.

"As a former pilot, I am personally shocked that this controller failed its responsibility to help these two aircraft, land" he said. "Fortunately, at no time was either flat radar contact and our backup system launched to ensure the safe of two aircraft landing.

Pilots of the plane, American Airlines and United Airlines each said that they had been in contact with regional air traffic controllers turned off the coast of the Reagan National Tower for approach and landing.

But as the aircraft by radio their claims to land in the capital, early Wednesday morning, they heard silence.

"American 1900, so that you are aware that the tower was is apparently not inhabited," a regional controller said the plane pilots, according to radio recordings obtained by ABC News. "If you expect to go into an uncontrolled airport."

The pilot has carried out an overview of the airport - aviation routine procedure - before landing on its own without help from the ground.

Fifteen minutes later, United flight 628 of Chicago was also unable to communicate with the Tower of Reagan.

"The aircraft went as an uncontrolled airport," a regional Comptroller said on the recording. "It is already well happened.".

The pilot also assimilated United airport without driver and landed safely.

Federal transportation officials now lead a controller air comprehensive review of staffing in airports across the country.

While Reagan National is composed of multiple controllers of air traffic during the day, moving to the day the day is managed by a single controller because there are no departures from the overnight and a few arrivals.

But travel from midnight to other major US airports, including New York John Fitzgerald Kennedy and LaGuardia, Chicago O'Hare and Boston Logan, all two service controllers.

Richmond, Virginia, and Andrews Air Force Base are two regional airports which have only a tower for the midnight shift controller.

"The reality is that we should probably never have that a controller at a major airport anytime, anywhere," said expert John Nance aviation. "But the fact that it is Washington, D.C., obviously speeds up issues like that."

Secretary of transportation Ray LaHood has taken a measure unusual late Wednesday to immediately order a second controller of the air traffic at Reagan National Airport on the midnight shift.

"It is not acceptable to have a single controller in the Tower of air traffic management in the airspace this criticism," LaHood said in a statement. "I also asked FAA administrator Randy Babbitt to examine staffing levels in other airports across the country."

A traffic controller air veteran contacted by ABC News, said the incident would have presented not a danger to passengers, because pilots are trained to Earth without air traffic control. But he added that it was very unusual.

"It is a big problem when two aircraft at the Washington National Airport are not able to communicate with the tower", said Dick Marakovitz, a controller for 27 years. "It's a big problem."

American Airlines flight 1012, a Boeing 737, had 91 passengers and six crew on board. United Airlines flight 628, an Airbus A320, had 63 passengers and five crew members.

Reagan National Airport serves some 18 million passengers per year.

ABC News Devin Dwyer has contributed to this report.

Air traffic controller was watching the film

Washington (cnn) — Secretary of transportation Ray LaHood Tuesday said Federal officials should "keep back" on personal responsibility in the wake of the last request of inattention by the air traffic controller - was that this would have been watching a movie while on duty - and inaction by her supervisor.

The controller was suspended pending an investigation, to watch a movie on a portable electronic device while working at the Cleveland Air Route Traffic Control Center in Oberlin, Ohio. Also his first line manager, who was aware and did not prevent him, has been suspended, confirmed the LaHood.

The incident took place Sunday morning, when the audio in the Samuel l. Jackson thriller "Cleaner" was transmitted on a frequency radio for more than three minutes.

"The problem has been to the attention of the control of the movement of air by the pilot of a military aircraft with an alternate frequency," a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration.

Policy of the FAA banned the use of laptops and other DVD players equipment to be used in radar rooms.

Stories of the wrecks controllers keep stack, even while the head of the FAA and the leader of the controllers Union began a cross-Canada tour to spread the Gospel of professionalism for the rank.

There was now incidents in Washington. Knoxville Tennessee. Reno (Nevada). Seattle; Lubbock (Texas). and Miami in only for a few months.

Ordering of the rules have been adjusted and staffing strengthened to mitigate fatigue between controllers, but during the incident of the Ohio, fatigue does not appear to have been the cause.

Personal responsibility "really need to become much more part of our training," LaHood told CNN, "much of what says our administrator (FAA) controllers as he travels the country and met with them.

"I meet controllers, too, when I travel to the country." "I visit the air traffic control towers and I guarantee that it will be part of my message."

Pressed to explain why such incidents keep comes despite the insistence of officials that the situation will not be tolerated, LaHood said: "Well, it will not."

"We have things here in the short term as an extension of time to rest from eight to nine hours." "We've moved positions where we believe that it is more important to have more supervisors, supervisors"

"And we will continue to do what we have to do to ensure that controllers to include that they take responsibility for this most important security task that they have", he said.

Air traffic controller was watching the film

Secretary of transportation Ray LaHood Tuesday said Federal officials should "keep back" on personal responsibility in the wake of the last request of inattention by the air traffic controller - was that this would have been watching a movie while on duty - and inaction by her supervisor.

The controller was suspended pending an investigation, to watch a movie on a portable electronic device while working at the Cleveland Air Route Traffic Control Center in Oberlin, Ohio. Also his first line manager, who was aware and did not prevent him, has been suspended, confirmed the LaHood.

The incident took place Sunday morning, when the audio in the Samuel l. Jackson thriller "Cleaner" was transmitted on a frequency radio for more than three minutes.

"The problem has been to the attention of the control of the movement of air by the pilot of a military aircraft with an alternate frequency," a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration.

Policy of the FAA banned the use of laptops and other DVD players equipment to be used in radar rooms.

Stories of the wrecks controllers keep stack, even while the head of the FAA and the leader of the controllers Union began a cross-Canada tour to spread the Gospel of professionalism for the rank.

There was now incidents in Washington. Knoxville Tennessee. Reno (Nevada). Seattle; Lubbock (Texas). and Miami in only for a few months.

Ordering of the rules have been adjusted and staffing strengthened to mitigate fatigue between controllers, but during the incident of the Ohio, fatigue does not appear to have been the cause.

Personal responsibility "really need to become much more part of our training," LaHood told CNN, "much of what says our administrator (FAA) controllers as he travels the country and met with them.

"I meet controllers, too, when I travel to the country." "I visit the air traffic control towers and I guarantee that it will be part of my message."

Pressed to explain why such incidents keep comes despite the insistence of officials that the situation will not be tolerated, LaHood said: "Well, it will not."

"We have things here in the short term as an extension of time to rest from eight to nine hours." "We've moved positions where we believe that it is more important to have more supervisors, supervisors"

"And we will continue to do what we have to do to ensure that controllers to include that they take responsibility for this most important security task that they have", he said.