Federal investigators have raised concerns of a capacity for another lethal plane crash at Reagan National Airport, after a midair crash earlier this year eliminated 67.

The National Transportation Safety Board offered an update on their investigation into the cause of the catastrophe which occurred on January 29 in Washington.

An American Airlines jetliner and a Black Hawk military helicopter collided in midair over the Potomac River, killing everyone on board both aircrafts.

As part of a preliminary report released on Tuesday, private investigators raised issues of more collisions including helicopters at the airport.

NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy stated: 'We remain worried about the significant potential for future mid-air accident at DCA.'

Her concerns revolve around Transport Secretary Sean Duffy relocating to limit helicopter traffic around the area, however that is set to cease at the end of the month.

When police, medical or presidential transport helicopters need to utilize the space civilian planes are stopped from remaining in the exact same location.

Homendy said the NTSB is now suggesting that the FAA discover a 'long-term solution' for alternate routes for helicopters when 2 of the airport's runways are in usage.

Emergency units respond after a guest airplane hit a helicopter in the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington Airport on January 30, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia

Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Bureau (NTSB) Jennifer Homendy talks to press reporters about the 29 January mid-air crash

It was likewise revealed on Tuesday that there was alerting signs in the lead up to the fatal catastrophe.

Those probing the crash went through 944,179 operations in between October 2021 and December 2024.

It was discovered that 15,214 'near-miss events' of aircrafts getting signals about helicopters being in close distance between October 2021 and December 2024.

The NTSB likewise stated that there were 85 cases where 2 aircraft where laterally divided by less than 1,500 feet, and a vertical separation of less than 200 feet.

Homendy included: 'That information from October 2021 through December 2024, (the FAA) might have used that information whenever to identify that we have a pattern here and an issue here, and took a look at that path; that didn't happen, which is why we're taking action today. But regrettably, people lost lives, and liked ones are grieving.'

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy knocked these findings at a later interview on Tuesday.

Duffy stated: 'I think the question is when this data can be found in how did the FAA not know. How did they not study the data to say "hey, this is a location, we are having near misses and if we do not change our ways we are gon na lose lives".'

He included: 'That wasn't done, maybe there was a concentrate on something aside from safety.'

Duffy would later on added when questioned by a reporter about the near misses that the information had 'p *** ed him off'.

Pictured: Parts of the wreckage seen sitting in the Potomac River after Flight 5342 clashed with an Army Black Hawk helicopter on Wednesday night, eliminating 67 individuals

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Investigators think that the helicopter involved in the crash may have had unreliable altitude readings in the minutes before the crash.

The accident most likely happened at an altitude just under 300 feet, as the aircraft came down toward the chopper, which was above its 200-foot limitation for that location.

On Tuesday American Airlines welcomed the report by the NTSB, stating: 'We're grateful for the National Transportation Safety Board's immediate security suggestions to restrict helicopter traffic near DCA and for its comprehensive investigation.

'We will continue to collaborate carefully with PSA Airlines as it cooperates as an investigative celebration member.'

The helicopter pilots may have also missed out on part of another interaction, when the tower said the jet was turning towards a various runway, Homendy stated last month.

The helicopter was on a 'check' flight that night where the pilot was going through a yearly test and a test on using night vision goggles, Homendy said.

Investigators think the team was wearing night vision safety glasses throughout the flight.

The Army has said the Black Hawk crew was extremely experienced, and accustomed to the congested skies around the nation ´ s capital.

At the time of the accident, a single air traffic controller was all at once keeping track of both the helicopter and airplane traffic.

Those jobs are normally managed between 2 people from 10am till 9:30 pm, according to an early FAA report seen by The New york city Times.

Those jobs are typically dealt with between 2 people from 10am up until 9:30 pm, according to the report.

Surveillance video drawn from inside the airport caught the moment the two collided in midair

At the time of the crash, a single air traffic controller was concurrently monitoring both the helicopter and plane traffic. Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is seen here

After 9:30 pm the tasks are generally combined and left to one person as the airport sees less traffic later on in the night.

A manager apparently chose to combine those tasks before the arranged cutoff time nevertheless, and permitted one air traffic controller to leave work early.

The FAA report said that staffing setup 'was not typical for the time of day and volume of traffic'.

Reagan National has been understaffed for lots of years, with just 19 totally accredited controllers since September 2023 - well below the target of 30 - according to the most recent Air Traffic Controller submitted to Congress.

The circumstance appeared to have improved since then, as a source informed CNN the Reagan National control tower was 85 percent staffed with 24 of 28 positions filled.

Chronic understaffing at air traffic control towers is nothing brand-new, with well-known causes consisting of high turnover and spending plan cuts.

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In order to fill the spaces, controllers are frequently asked to work 10-hour days, 6 days a week.

After the release of the report, former Inspector General of the US Department of Transportation Mary Schiavo considered the findings as 'unusual'.

She said: 'This NTSB action is highly unusual. The release of an emergency recommendation requesting the FAA take instant action, before the completion of the NTSB investigation is unusual.'

The two airplane had actually collided in a big fireball that showed up on dashcams of vehicles driving on highways that snake around the airport, before plunging into the river.

Less than a month later on, on February 17, a Delta traveler airplane crashed-landed upside down in chaotic scenes at Toronto Pearson International Airport in Canada.

Miraculously, everybody on board survived after being suspended upside-down by their seat belts for numerous minutes up until they tentatively began evacuating.

The airplane had actually been heading to Toronto from Minneapolis - Saint Paul International Airport with 76 passengers and four team members on board.

Some 21 individuals were taken to the healthcare facility for treatment to minor injuries, and Delta has offered everyone a no-strings $30,000 payment in compensation.

And the airplane carnage is continuous - on Sunday, yet another jet crash-landed, this time in a car park of a suburban Pennsylvania retirement home.

Dramatic video revealed the Beechcraft A36TC emerge in flames in the car park of Brethren Village in Manheim Township. Five individuals were hurried to hospital.

Medics, ambulances, and emergency situation vehicles hurried to the scene in Lancaster County as flames engulfed the airplane and neighboring automobiles.

The airplane took off as scheduled on Sunday afternoon, but rapidly requested to land back on the tarmac due to the fact that its door had opened.

American Airlines