Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Situational Awareness; Confusion; Communication Breakdown; Training / Qualification
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Air Traffic Control Issued Advisory / Alert; Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification
Airspace Structure; Human Factors; Procedure
I was working the Local and Helicopter positions combined at DCA ATC. I have been CPC/FPL for [a short time].I accepted a handoff from Potomac TRACON on Aircraft X 2 miles west of ZZZ. Aircraft X contacted DCA Tower and requested to fly Route 1-Route 4 -ZZZ1 and then to ZZZ2. I radar contacted Aircraft X; approved the request and issued the altimeter.Aircraft Y called on a seven mile final to DCA and requested to land on Runway XX. I then I cleared Aircraft Y to land.Note. My standard practice for helicopters flying the DCA helicopter route is to issue any pertinent landing traffic by the time the helicopters pass over the South Capitol Street Bridge.Aircraft X asked if I had issued traffic on the aircraft landing Runway XX. I thought I had applied my standard practice of issuing traffic to the helicopters over the bridge so I informed Aircraft X that I had issued the traffic.Once Aircraft Y landed; he asked about the flight of three helicopters off his right. I informed him I had issued traffic to Aircraft X.Neither aircraft declared a near miss on frequency. At all times I had maintained Tower applied visual separation between Aircraft X and Aircraft Y.I recommend recurrent helicopter training for the facility to prevent this incident from occurring in the future with other controllers.
DCA Controller reported they failed to issue traffic information to multiple VFR flights on approach.