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3d ago

NTSB Cites Systemic Failures in D.C. Midair, Flags Burbank Collision Risk

The board issued dozens of recommendations, pressing regulators to fix mixed‑traffic hazards at DCA plus other hotspots.

Family members visit the crash site on the banks of the Potomac River, where American Airlines flight 5342 collided with a US Army military helicopter, at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, on February 2, 2025.
First responders salute as two ambulances carrying the flag draped bodies of service members killed in a midair collision depart a temporary emergency disaster site at Buzzard Point on January 31, 2025 in Washington, DC.
An airplane takes off from Reagan National Airport and flies over a kayaker at Gravelly Point park in Arlington, Virginia.
A person watches as crews search the Potomac River outside Washington Reagan National Airport on January 29, 2025, following the midair collision between a Black Hawk helicopter and a commercial airplane.

Overview

  • After a yearlong probe, the NTSB approved 74 findings and about 50 recommendations targeting the FAA, the U.S. Army and other agencies, calling the Jan. 29, 2025 crash 100% preventable.
  • Investigators faulted a helicopter route that intersected active approach paths with roughly 75 feet of vertical proximity, heavy reliance on visual separation, high controller workload and garbled radio instructions.
  • The Army was cited for gaps in safety management and training, including limited awareness of barometric altimeter error tolerances and the absence of robust flight data monitoring for operations near major airports.
  • Neither aircraft had effective low‑altitude collision‑avoidance capability; the NTSB said ADS‑B In on the airliner could have provided the first alert about 59 seconds before impact.
  • The FAA says it is reviewing the recommendations and highlighted measures already taken, including AI hotspot analysis since February 2025, reduced DCA arrival rates, permanent changes to a helicopter route and Van Nuys traffic pattern, and mitigations aimed at lowering TCAS alerts near Burbank.