The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has concluded that the midair collision between an American Airlines jet and an army Black Hawk helicopter near Washington DC last year was '100% preventable', citing years of ignored warnings about helicopter traffic dangers. The crash killed all 67 people on board both aircraft.
At a hearing on Tuesday, NTSB investigators highlighted a dangerous helicopter route placed in the approach path of Reagan National Airport's secondary runway, which created a hazardous airspace. The board also noted a lack of regular safety risk reviews and an over-reliance on air traffic controllers asking helicopter pilots to avoid other aircraft.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy expressed anger at the missed opportunities to address risks, including the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) denial of a 2023 request to reduce air traffic at Reagan and failures to relocate the helicopter route after a similar near miss in 2013. 'We should be angry. This was 100% preventable,' she said.
Victims' families, some in tears, watched as animations recreated the final moments of the crash, showing how difficult it was for pilots to spot each other amid the lights of Washington. Kristen Miller-Zahn, whose brother died, said: 'The negligence of not fixing things that needed to be fixed killed my brother and 66 other people.'
The NTSB adopted a series of recommendations aimed at improving training, staffing, and safety standards at Reagan and other airports, and strengthening the culture of safety at the FAA and army. The FAA has since made permanent changes to separate helicopters and planes around the airport.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced a plan to reorganise the FAA into a single safety office, but Homendy expressed concerns about potential conflicts of interest. Former inspector general Mary Schiavo called the FAA's failures a 'shocking dereliction of duty'.
