According to the NATCA, air traffic controllers make sure that flights are always smooth, navigating two million aviation passengers per day or nearly one billion people per year.

Chief Transportation Correspondent and Pilot MayCay Beeler explains what's called an "air traffic control washout" amid a current shortage

Air traffic control managers told the National Transportation Safety Board that F.A.A. leaders rebuffed efforts over the years to address hazardous conditions that played a role in the Jan. 29 crash.