On May 19, during a Senate hearing, leadership in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) revealed that it failed to implement preventative safety protocols ahead of the January 2025 midair collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) that resulted in 67 deaths.
The incident near DCA involved American Airlines Flight 5342 and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter. During this week’s hearing, the Senate questioned FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford about the January 2025 incident, which is recorded as the most deadly aviation collision in the country in over two decades.
According to Fox 5 DC, Bedford admitted that the FAA failed to implement preventive safety measures despite being informed of thousands of close calls at and around DCA before the January 2025 fatal collision over the Potomac River.
“We had a bad plan in the region. It was a bad design,” Bedford reportedly testified regarding DCA’s airspace. “There were absolutely data telling us it was a bad design, and we should’ve done something with it.”
Per C-SPAN, in late March, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy noted the number of documented near-misses at DCA that were referred to in organizational reports shared with the FAA. She said, “Between October 2021 and December 2024, there were over 15,000 close-proximity events between commercial aircraft and helicopters at DCA.”
How Does This Impact Travelers Ahead Of The Summer Travel Season?
Despite the recent FAA admission, air travel remains the safest mode of transportation. Also worth noting is that, according to the authority, it has taken numerous steps at DCA and nationwide to “improve safety for the flying public following the January 29 accident.” The FAA and Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy have repeatedly emphasized that safety remains the top priority in air travel. And that’s even at the U.S.’s busiest airports, during periods of strain (TSA delays, worker callouts, etc.) and after accidents.
Following the FAA’s safety analysis, on May 18, Duffy and Bedford announced a new protocol for air traffic controllers to follow “in areas where helicopters often cross both arrival and departure paths near busy airports.” The new measure requires the use of “a radar to keep the aircraft specific lateral or vertical distances apart.” That is, radar will now be required in place of ‘visual separation,’ which the NTSB deemed a contributing factor in the January 2025 collision on the Potomac River, according to The Hill.
“The tragedy over the Potomac one year ago revealed a startling truth: years of warning signs were missed, and the FAA needed dire reform. Since then, we’ve implemented numerous changes to protect the skies over our capital and keep the traveling public safe,” Duffy said in part.
During the May 19 Senate hearing, Bedford additionally noted that the FAA is working to implement numerous safety measures suggested by the NTSB.
“Some of the things will be completed by the end of this year, some by the end of next year because these involve much bigger safety review panels,” Bedford reportedly stated. “There’s just a process, and these things take time.”
