FAA Admits It Missed Dangerous Patterns Leading Up To DC Plane Crash, Vows Fixes

Authored by Rudy Blalock via The Epoch Times,

The head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told Congress on Thursday that the agency “[has] to do better” in identifying safety threats following January’s deadly midair collision over Washington, D.C., that claimed 67 lives.

During a hearing before the aviation subcommittee of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, FAA Acting Administrator Chris Rocheleau stated that an artificial intelligence-led review of airports with similar helicopter-airplane congestion is expected to be completed within a couple of weeks.

“We have to identify trends, we have to get smarter about how we use data, and when we put corrective actions in place, we must execute them,” Rocheleau said during the hearing.

The Jan. 29 collision between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines jetliner over the Potomac River left no survivors, marking the nation’s deadliest plane crash since November 2001. Of the 67 deaths, 64 were passengers and crew on the jetliner, and three were the crew of the Black Hawk helicopter.

85 Close Calls

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy criticized the FAA for failing to recognize a pattern in the 85 close calls reported around Ronald Reagan Washington National in the three years preceding the crash.

Rocheleau acknowledged that while each incident was investigated, the agency missed what was an alarming trend.

In an immediate policy change announced during the hearing, Rocheleau said the FAA will now require all aircraft flying near Reagan National to broadcast their locations. This “ADS-B out data” provides air traffic controllers with position updates every second.

The hearing revealed that Army helicopters were still flying over the nation’s capital with location broadcasting systems turned off during what were deemed sensitive missions. Brig. Gen. Matthew Braman, the Army’s head of aviation, acknowledged that this practice was ongoing as of Thursday morning.

In response, Texas Senator Ted Cruz said it was “shocking and deeply unacceptable” that the Army has continued to do so.

During the hearing, Homendy said it would be important to also make sure the transmission equipment is still working, as the helicopter involved in the accident had not transmitted location data for 730 days. When the NTSB checked other helicopters in the same unit after the crash, eight had not transmitted since 2023.

The NTSB also reported that staffing in the air traffic control tower was “not normal” at the time of the collision and that there were communication lapses between air traffic control and the aircraft.

Dailey Crofton, brother of Casey Crofton, who died in the collision, attended Thursday’s hearing and said he was surprised at “the lapses of safety protocols that led to this crash.” Casey Crafton’s family filed a $250 million claim against both the FAA and the Army over the crash on Feb. 18.

Since the accident, helicopter traffic around Reagan National has been restricted whenever planes use the same runway the American Airlines plane was approaching before the collision. The FAA has also permanently banned the specific helicopter route under most circumstances following the NTSB’s recommendation.

Tim Lilley, father of American Airlines copilot Sam Lilley who died in the crash and a former Black Hawk pilot himself, said he was disappointed that the Army has not implemented simple safety improvements he recommended, including consistently using locator systems.

“I was frustrated with the lack of accountability. The Army still doesn’t want to say that they did anything wrong,” Lilley said during the hearing.

The FAA’s AI-powered review is examining areas with busy helicopter traffic, including Boston, New York, Baltimore-Washington, Detroit, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, and along the Gulf Coast, with Rocheleau promising to act immediately if any safety risks are found.