Is one air traffic controller enough?

Sleeping controller prompts FAA reviewSTORY HIGHLIGHTSAbout 30 air traffic control towers in the U.S. have one person on duty late at night"One-person shifts are unsafe," says head of the National Air Traffic Controllers AssociationScrutiny comes after lone controller on duty fell asleep at Reagan National AirportBut an aviation safety expert counters that the system is incredibly safe overall (CNN) -- You may think the country's air traffic control towers are bustling with activity around the clock, but it turns out that it's a lonely job late at night for workers in some places when few planes are landing and taking off.

About 30 tower-controlled airports in the U.S. regularly have only one air traffic controller on duty on the overnight shift, said Laura Brown, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration.

They include San Diego International Airport and Sacramento International in California; Tucson International Airport in Arizona; and Reno-Tahoe International in Nevada.

The staffing situation is now under extreme scrutiny after the troubling incident this week at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

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