President Donald Trump's administration, guided by the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), reportedly began firing staff responsible for air traffic control amid more than a half dozen recent airplane crashes.
The Associated Press reported that probationary employees at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) began receiving emails on Friday night saying they would be terminated.
"The impacted workers include personnel hired for FAA radar, landing, and navigational aid maintenance," the AP reported after talking to one anonymous air traffic controller.
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association was "analyzing the effect of the reported federal employee terminations on aviation safety, the national airspace system, and our members," the group said in a statement.
ALSO READ: 'Gotta be kidding': Jim Jordan scrambles as he's confronted over Musk 'double standard'
The firings come just days after a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines passenger jet in Washington, D.C., killing over 60. Since then, at least six other plane crashes and wrecks have reportedly occurred.