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3w ago

FAA Implements New Safety Measures at Reagan National Airport Following Fatal Collision

The agency is increasing staffing, reviewing flight arrival rates, and offering stress management support for air traffic controllers after the January crash that killed 67 people.

FILE - Rescue and salvage crews pull up a part of a Army Black Hawk helicopter that collided midair with an American Airlines jet, at a wreckage site in the Potomac River from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Feb. 6, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)
FILE - A piece of wreckage is lifted from the water onto a salvage vessel near the site in the Potomac River of a mid-air collision between an American Airlines jet and a Black Hawk helicopter, at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Feb. 4, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File)
A plane prepares to land as other planes wait their turn in a busy runway at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., February 4, 2025. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, walks to the Senate chamber as the Senate works to avert a partial government shutdown ahead of the midnight deadline, at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Overview

  • The FAA is increasing operational supervisor staffing at Reagan National Airport from six to eight and reviewing certified professional controller staffing numbers.
  • A Critical Incident Stress Management team will visit the airport in early April to provide confidential support for air traffic controllers following recent incidents.
  • The FAA is evaluating flight arrival rates, which are disproportionately concentrated in the last 30 minutes of each hour, and considering adjustments to reduce congestion.
  • Permanent restrictions on non-essential helicopter operations and the closure of the helicopter route involved in the January collision have been implemented.
  • The National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary report on the January crash, which killed 67 people, does not implicate air traffic control staffing as a major factor.