By now, most people heard about the national news story of the air traffic controller in Washington's DC Reagan Airport that fell a sleep in the tower hub. The controller falling a sleep forced two airliners two make landings on there own with out permission. Like most people I find the story appalling & hope that the government could work on ways to improve the air controllers work load & duty rest. Air controllers like pilots do an incredible job daily. Although their job is stressful, they do it well everyday for the most part. The biggest problem with the controller falling a sleep was not the fact that the airplanes landed on their own, but the fact that Reagan Airport is so close to the White House & Capitol. After 9/11, the government put rules in place that no airplane in controlled airspace can fly without talking to someone. They also, but special rules in place for DC metro airports that are security sensitive. I am surprised at an airport like DCA's Reagan that the FAA would allow just one air traffic controller on duty on the grave yard shift. It goes against all common sense.  I have been to many airports were one controller been on duty, but usually it's smaller regional airports with little traffic loads. DCA's Reagan Airport is a major & busy airport. As for the pilots landing on their own, that's routine. There are a number of airports around the country with no air traffic control tower in which pilots enter the the airport traffic in a specific way & broadcast their attentions. There is a standard procedure for this that all pilots know so this procedure is not particularly a problem. Non control tower airports make up about 20% of the airports that airlines fly into.