During a congressional hearing, the acting head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) highlighted the need for improved safety measures following a devastating midair collision over Washington, D.C., which claimed the lives of 67 people. The incident underscored the critical importance of enhancing safety protocols to keep air travel secure.
Chris Rocheleau, the acting administrator of the FAA, stated that the agency is conducting an artificial intelligence-driven review to identify potential safety threats at airports that experience similar helicopter-airplane congestion. This review is anticipated to conclude in the next few weeks. The hearing also brought into focus why the FAA hadn’t previously addressed numerous near-miss incidents around Ronald Reagan National Airport before the January collision between an Army helicopter and a jetliner. This accident over the Potomac River marked the deadliest plane crash in the U.S. since November 2001.
“We must do better,” Rocheleau affirmed, emphasizing the importance of recognizing trends, utilizing data more intelligently, and effectively implementing corrective measures. The FAA’s deployment of AI technology seeks to sift through millions of collected reports to assess risks in other high-traffic areas including Boston, New York, Baltimore-Washington, and several other major cities.
Investigations have already pointed out 85 near-misses around Reagan Airport in the three years before the crash, suggesting a worsening safety concern. Despite thorough investigations into each of these incidents and reviews of all the data, this concerning trend went unnoticed until the tragic collision. Jennifer Homendy, Chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), acknowledged a clear problem in identifying trends within the FAA’s data.
One emotional moment of the hearing came from Dailey Crofton, whose brother, Casey Crofton, perished in the crash. Expressing his shock, he highlighted the significant safety protocol lapses that led to the deadly accident. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz further criticized safety weaknesses, revealing that on March 1, collision alarms were set off around Reagan Airport due to anti-drone technology testing by the Secret Service and U.S. Navy, which operated on a similar frequency to the planes’ warning systems.
The helicopter traffic around Reagan National has been restricted since the collision whenever planes use the same runway that the American Airlines jet was approaching during the accident. At the NTSB’s recommendation, the FAA has permanently banned that specific helicopter route except under most circumstances. If a helicopter utilizes the route, airliners are prohibited from taking off or landing on that runway.
Furthermore, Brig. Gen. Matthew Braman of the U.S. Army’s aviation acknowledged that as of the hearing, helicopters continued to fly over the nation’s capital without a critical system broadcasting their locations due to sensitivity concerns. Rocheleau announced that henceforth, all aircraft near Reagan National would be required to transmit their locations, providing precise position updates every second to aid air traffic control.
Prior to this requirement, aviation regulations permitted military and government craft to operate without transmitting their locations over Washington to keep sensitive missions confidential. Tim Lilley, father of the involved airliner copilot Sam Lilley and a former Black Hawk pilot, expressed disappointment in the Army’s failure to adopt safety improvements he suggested after meeting with Braman, such as activating location transmitters, adding an additional crew member, or disallowing older Black Hawks on Capitol routes.
NTSB Chairwoman Homendy emphasized the necessity of ensuring transmission equipment functionality, noting that the helicopter in the crash hadn’t transmitted any location data for 730 days. Post-accident checks revealed several helicopters that hadn’t transmitted since 2023. She also expressed concerns over the Army’s handling of close-call reports and how it monitored flights for potential altitude violations.