Airplane crashes spark U.S. aviation safety concerns, investigations

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Jan. 29 collision between an American Airlines passenger jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter in Washington, D.C. has brought up long-standing aviation safety concerns.

Less than a month later, the FAA reported another aircraft crash. On Feb. 17, a Delta Airlines jet from Minneapolis crashed and flipped on its roof while landing in Toronto’s Pearson Airport. At least 21 individuals were injured in the crash, but all 80 passengers survived.

The Washington, D.C. crash occurred on the night of Jan. 29 when a regional jet operated by PSA Airlines as an American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas, collided with the military helicopter over the Potomac River. This crash resulted in the deaths of all 67 passengers aboard. The commercial flight was preparing to land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport when it encountered the helicopter, which was flying at approximately 300 feet above ground level.

According to a preliminary Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) report, multiple safety protocols appeared to have failed in the moments before the crash. The helicopter deviated from its approved flight path, flying at least half a mile away from its designated route and exceeding its altitude restriction of 200 feet, according to the report. It indicated only one air traffic controller was managing both helicopter and plane duties at the time of the incident, a staffing arrangement that was “not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic.”

The crash occurred days after President Donald Trump initiated big changes in aviation oversight. The administration removed Transportation Security Administration Administrator David Pekoske and disbanded a critical aviation security advisory group. The FAA was operating without permanent leadership after Administrator Michael Whitaker stepped down during the transition. Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Linda Lee Fagan was also removed from her position.

Federal agency heads were also instructed to identify employees on probation or with less than two years of service, as they are easier to dismiss. Additionally, Trump issued a freeze on federal hiring, with exceptions for military, immigration enforcement, national security, and public safety positions.

According to a press release dated Jan. 22, Trump had also disbanded all members of a critical aviation security advisory group. 

“In the 10 days since Trump’s inauguration, his administration froze the hiring of additional air traffic controllers, gutted key air safety protections, and fired FAA leadership to the benefit of Musk’s business interests,” the progressive policy advocacy group MoveOn wrote in a statement. “As we work to learn the lessons of this tragedy, we need Trump, his allies, and his administration to end their assault on the public services that are essential to keeping us safe.”

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg criticized the Trump administration on social media platform X: “President Trump now oversees the military and the FAA. One of his first acts was to fire and suspend some of the key personnel who helped keep our skies safe. Time for the President to show actual leadership and explain what he will do to prevent this from happening again.”

However, Trump’s response to the crash offered contradicting explanations. During the National Prayer Breakfast, he blamed outdated equipment, stating, “We should have had better equipment. We do not. We have obsolete equipment.” Trump added the crash “would never have happened if the United States had the right equipment.”

Trump also blamed the incident on diversity initiatives in air traffic control hiring, though he provided no evidence for this claim. When questioned at a press conference why he believed diversity hiring efforts played a role in the crash, Trump responded, “Because I have common sense, OK, and unfortunately, a lot of people do not.”

The aviation industry experienced numerous warning signs before this tragic event. In the fall of 2024, after several close calls at major airports, the FAA announced an audit of near-collision incidents. In Phoenix, less than three weeks before the Washington D.C. crash, a United Airlines flight and a Delta Air Lines flight received simultaneous landing clearance, coming within 1,217 feet of each other.

On Dec. 27, 2024, a charter jet carrying the Gonzaga men’s basketball team nearly crossed an active runway at Los Angeles International Airport where a Delta plane was taking off. In February 2023, a FedEx jet came within 150 feet of a Southwest jet taking off on the same runway, one of five similar incidents in seven weeks.

The air traffic control system faces persistent staffing challenges. Nick Daniels, President of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, revealed that 41% of controllers work six-day weeks with 10-hour days. The current workforce of 10,800 certified controllers falls short of the 14,600 positions needed to meet demand.

“We have been raising the alarm on this for years on end,” Daniels said. “We need air traffic controllers. We need maximum hiring, so that these stresses and pressures can be taken off of us who are holding the system together today.”

Anonymous reports to NASA’s Aviation Safety Reporting System documented at least 10 submissions expressing concerns about staffing, work schedules, or fatigue in the past year. One controller from Southern California wrote, “We have been short staffed for too many years and it is creating so many unsafe situations. The FAA has created an unsafe environment to work and for the flying public.”

According to an air traffic control source, the Reagan National control tower operates at 85% capacity, with 24 of 28 positions filled. This understaffing reflects a national trend, as staffing targets for certified professional controllers at airport towers and terminal approaches reached only 72% as of September 2023.

In the aftermath of the crash, the FAA implemented new safety measures, prohibiting helicopters and planes from sharing airspace over the Potomac River. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) continues its investigation, focusing on flight recorder data that showed the commercial jet’s altitude at 325 feet – plus or minus 25 feet – at the time of impact.

The Notice to Air Missions system outage marked the second such incident in recent years, following a January 2023 disruption that grounded thousands of flights. While a backup system prevented major disruptions during the recent outage, the incident added to concerns about aging aviation infrastructure.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced his involvement in addressing aviation safety concerns through the Department of Government Efficiency. “Just a few days ago, the FAA’s primary aircraft safety notification system failed for several hours!” he wrote on X. Musk said his team would be looking into outdated aviation technology at the FAA after the safety messaging system for pilots experienced a weekend outage. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed discussions with Musk’s team about upgrading the U.S. aviation system.

Senator Maria Cantwell, of Washington expressed reservations about Musk’s involvement. In a letter to Secretary Duffy, she cited potential conflicts of interest due to the FAA’s oversight of SpaceX, Musk’s commercial space company.

Nick Calio, chief executive of Airlines for America, supported the administration’s commitment to modernization: “The days of paper strips and floppy disks must end,” he said in a statement.

The NTSB investigation continues as investigators collect evidence from both aircraft and analyze data from the helicopter’s black box. The findings will provide insights into the sequence of events that led to the deadliest U.S. aviation disaster in more than 20 years.