CL60 PLT VOICED CONCERN REGARDING MINIMAL CTLR STAFFING AT RIC DURING LATE NIGHT OPS WHEN SEVERAL DIVERSION ACFT WERE AWAITING DEP CLRNC.

Narrative

I WANTED TO COMMENT SOMEWHERE; AND WAS FRUSTRATED LOOKING ON-LINE. WE DIDN'T REALLY HAVE ANY INCIDENT; BUT I DID WANT TO POINT OUT A SAFETY CONCERN. ON AN EVENING FLT TO MMU; THERE WERE NUMEROUS TSTMS; AND WE WAITED 1 HR FOR OUR EDCT; NOT REALLY THINKING THAT WE COULD GET ALL THE WAY TO MMU DUE TO SEVERE WX IN THE AREA. LIKE A NUMBER OF OTHER ACFT; DUE TO WX AND OBVIOUS ATC LOAD; WE DIVERTED INTO RIC TO AWAIT THE LINE'S PASSING THROUGH THE PA/NJ AREA. WE LANDED AROUND XA45 AND ENDED UP DEPARTING AGAIN AT XC45. A GOOD SMOOTH FLT BACK TO MMU. KUDOS TO THE CTLRS THAT BROUGHT US INTO RIC AND THE TWR/GND CTLR THERE AT RIC. THE CTLR WAS OBVIOUSLY WORKING HARD UNDER CHALLENGING CONDITIONS. I DID HAVE A CONCERN; HOWEVER; AS IT APPEARED THAT THE CTLR WAS ALONE IN THE TWR CAB. IT SEEMED THAT THIS CTLR WAS THE ONLY ONE WORKING THERE. THE CTLR HANDLED THE SITUATION WITH CALM GOOD HUMOR; BUT IT DID SEEM THAT THE WORKLOAD WAS HAZARDOUS AS THEY DEALT WITH DELAYS; CLRNC; GND AND TWR FUNCTIONS. I WOULD IMAGINE THAT TYPICALLY IT MUST BE PRETTY QUIET AT RIC AT XC00. I'M SURE THAT ONE CTLR CAN EASILY HANDLE THE WORKLOAD. HOWEVER; WITH NUMEROUS DIVERTED ACFT; ALL LOOKING TO BE ON THEIR WAY ONCE AGAIN; IT SURE COULD HAVE ENHANCED SAFETY FOR THEM TO HAVE SOME HELP UP THERE. I'M SURE STAFFING IS TOUGH; BUT PERHAPS MGMNT CAN ASSESS CONTINGENCIES DURING TIMES WHEN HVY WX IS EXPECTED; AND OPS CAN BE MUCH HIGHER THAN ANTICIPATED. IN GENERAL; I'M A BIG SUPPORTER OF ATC; AND THEY DID A GOOD JOB THIS EVENING AS WELL; BUT I DID HAVE CONCERNS IN LISTENING TO WHAT SEEMED TO BE AN OVERBURDENED CTLR TRYING TO COPE WITH A VERY BUSY AND COMPLEX SITUATION. THE OPPORTUNITY FOR ERROR WAS HIGH.