A chilling investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has exposed a staggering 15,000 “near-miss events” between helicopters and jets at Reagan National Airport in the three years before a devastating crash claimed 67 lives. The fatal collision, involving an American Airlines jet and an Army helicopter on January 29, has ignited urgent calls for change in the skies above Washington, D.C.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy didn’t mince words: helicopter routes weaving perilously close to the airport pose an “intolerable risk to aviation safety.”
The findings paint a harrowing picture—between October 2021 and December 2024, helicopters and jets came within one nautical mile and 400 vertical feet of each other more than 15,000 times. Even more alarming, 85 incidents saw the aircraft separated by a mere 200 vertical feet.
“We remain concerned about the significant potential for future midair collisions at DCA,” Homendy warned, referring to the airport by its official code. Determined to prevent another tragedy, the NTSB is pushing to shut down the helicopter route tied to the catastrophic crash and replace it with a safer alternative. “We are recommending a permanent solution today,” she declared, her frustration palpable as she added that she was angry nothing had been done sooner to cut down on this risk.
An Ongoing Investigation
Details of the January collision remain under scrutiny, with investigators still piecing together flight data. Early analysis reveals conflicting accounts: the jet’s records show it was at 313 feet at the moment of impact, while Reagan tower tracked the Black Hawk helicopter at 278 feet.
Both altitudes far exceed the 200-foot ceiling set for helicopters flying over the Potomac River, hinting at a chaotic breakdown in the crowded airspace. NTSB officials speculated that the helicopter crew might have been working with “bad data,” their instruments possibly failing to reflect their true height.
Compounding the mystery, a missed communication may have sealed the disaster. Just seconds before the crash, the control tower instructed the chopper to “pass behind” the jet—but the crew keyed their radio to respond at that exact moment, potentially drowning out the critical directive.
The collision’s toll was staggering—67 lives lost in a fiery wreck that marked the deadliest U.S. aviation disaster since November 12, 2001, when an American Airlines flight crashed into a Queens neighborhood shortly after leaving JFK Airport, k*lling 265 people.
That earlier tragedy was attributed to pilot error, but the January crash’s cause remains under investigation.
Among the victims were young athletes fresh from the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championship in Wichita, Kansas, traveling with parents and coaches. At least 14 were members of the U.S. Figure Skating team, and their loss has devastated the East Coast skating community, leaving a void felt far beyond the ice.
As the NTSB digs deeper, its findings spotlight a pressing need to rethink aviation safety at Reagan National.
For now, the skies remain a place of unanswered questions—and a stark reminder of the stakes involved.
The Fairview Gazette will keep you up to date on the ongoing investigation regarding the Reagan National airport tragedy.
