The Nationwide Transportation Security Board uncovered greater than 15,000 “near-miss occasions” between helicopters and jets at Reagan Nationwide airport in simply three years main as much as the American Airways jet and Military helicopter collision that killed 67 folks.
Helicopter routes close to Reagan Nationwide airport repeatedly trigger an “insupportable danger to aviation security,” NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy instructed reporters Tuesday throughout an replace on its investigation into the January 29 collision.
Along with the greater than 15,000 “close to miss” cases by which helicopters and jets on the airport got here inside one nautical mile and 400 vertical toes of each other between October 2021 and December 2024, there have been one other 85 nearer calls when helicopters and planes got here inside 200 vertical toes of each other.
“We stay involved concerning the vital potential for future midair collisions at DCA,” Homendy stated.
In response to the alarming findings, the NTSB stated it was recommending that the chopper route the place the catastrophic collision occurred be closed down, and an alternate route be established.
“We’re recommending a everlasting answer in the present day,” Homendy stated, later including that their findings had left her “offended” that nothing had been performed to mitigate this danger sooner.
The NTSB didn’t present solutions to lingering questions concerning the heights the Black Hawk chopper was flying alongside that route when the collision occurred – explaining that investigators have been nonetheless analyzing flight knowledge and wouldn’t reveal something however the info.
Flight knowledge uncovered early within the crash investigation confirmed a conflicting account of the place every plane was flying when the accident occurred.
The jet’s flight recorded the American Airways airplane flying at round 313 toes when affect occurred, whereas the Reagan tower learn the chopper as flying at 278 toes.
Comply with the NYP’s protection of the lethal DC airplane collision
The ceiling for helicopters flying over the Potomac River is 200 toes – which means preliminary data indicated they have been nicely above the security restrict within the crowded skyway close to Reagan.
NTSB officers additionally stated it’s attainable the Black Hawk crew had “dangerous knowledge,” and that their devices weren’t exhibiting them their true altitude.
And simply seconds earlier than the wreck, the chopper crew could have missed a vital management tower communication directing them to “go behind” the jet as a result of they keyed their radio to reply on the actual second that phrase was spoken.
The fiery wreck was the deadliest aviation catastrophe on US soil since November 12, 2001, when one other American Airways airplane dropped from the sky right into a Queens neighborhood shortly after departing JFK Worldwide airport in NYC and killed all 260 folks onboard and 5 folks on the bottom.
That accident was seemingly brought on by pilot error, the NTSB decided.
January’s wreck was carrying quite a few youngsters who had simply completed competing within the 2025 US Determine Skating Championship in Wichita, Kansas, together with their mother and father and coaches who had come alongside to help them.
A minimum of 14 of them have been members of the US Determine Skating group, and the wreck gutted the tight-knit East Coast skating group.
