Friday, March 28, 2025
A new federal report has revealed that over fifteen thousand near misses between helicopters and commercial airplanes occurred in US airspace—many near Washington D.C.—in the three years leading up to the deadly collision between an American Airlines jet and a Black Hawk helicopter on January 29. The report highlights repeated close calls, some within just 200 feet, and has placed the Federal Aviation Administration under scrutiny for failing to act on years of warning signs about dangerous flight patterns around Ronald Reagan National Airport.
A recent preliminary investigation into a deadly midair collision over Washington D.C. has revealed a troubling history of safety concerns in the region’s airspace. In the three years leading up to the January 29 crash between a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines jet, more than 15,000 near misses were recorded involving helicopters and commercial planes.
These incidents occurred primarily in the airspace surrounding Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, where commercial and military aircraft share tight and heavily trafficked flight corridors. Most of the documented close calls happened within 400 feet of separation, while 85 incidents involved distances of under 200 feet—well within the danger zone for midair collisions.
The findings were released as part of a federal transportation safety agency’s preliminary report and were reviewed during a recent Congressional aviation safety hearing. Lawmakers questioned why no changes were made to air traffic protocols, despite years of documented risk involving overlapping flight paths.
One of the most concerning areas is Runway 33 at Reagan National, where helicopters sometimes operate at altitudes that leave less than 100 feet of vertical separation from incoming commercial jets. Current flight patterns, approved annually by air traffic authorities, have remained largely unchanged, even as incident data mounted.
In response to rising concerns, the national aviation regulator has pledged to enhance its use of flight data and apply artificial intelligence tools to better detect hazardous patterns in U.S. airspace, particularly in zones with dense helicopter traffic. Officials stated that this new review process could be completed in the coming weeks.
The hearing also revealed that military helicopters in the National Capital Region continue to fly without broadcasting their locations, due to operational policies that allow the ADS-B Out signal—used to track aircraft—to be turned off. This limits civilian air traffic controllers’ ability to detect and separate military flights from commercial aircraft.
Despite internal updates to military flight protocols, many missions still operate without transmitting location data, raising ongoing concerns about visibility in already congested skies. Previous communications indicated that nearly all military flights in the region operate without this safety system enabled.
A new report reveals that over 15,000 near misses in US airspace occurred before the fatal collision between an American Airlines jet and a Black Hawk helicopter near Washington D.C., prompting scrutiny of the FAA’s failure to act.
An official request for information regarding these practices, sent earlier this month, has so far gone unanswered.
The fatal collision on January 29, which resulted in 67 lives lost, is now being seen as part of a broader systemic issue involving insufficient airspace coordination, delayed data-driven reforms, and gaps in inter-agency communication. Investigations continue, with regulators and defense officials under increased pressure to revise procedures and prevent future tragedies.
