6 Takeaways From the NTSB’s Reports on Deadly Midair Collision Near Washington

‘We remain concerned about the significant potential for a future mid-air collision at DCA,’ NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said.

A crane offloads a piece of wreckage from a salvage vessel onto a flatbed truck, near the wreckage site in the Potomac River of a midair collision between an American Airlines jet and a Black Hawk helicopter, at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, in Arlington, Va., on Feb. 5, 2025. Ben Curtis/AP Photo

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released two reports on March 11 on the deadly midair collision between an Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet in late January that led to 67 deaths.

One report details the agency’s preliminary findings about the crash, and the other offers safety recommendations for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on the potential for midair collisions between traffic on helicopter Route 4 and airplanes landing on runway 33 or departing runway 15 at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), the airspace where the crash occurred.

The American Airlines jet was descending toward the airport when it was hit on its right side by the military helicopter at roughly 300 feet of altitude, investigators said. The helicopter was flying 100 feet above its maximum allowed altitude and was running a training mission.

The release follows a March 11 news conference at which NTSB officials said FAA rules allowed for an “intolerable risk to aviation safety” near that airport, leading to the increased threat of midair collisions after permitting planes and helicopters to fly too close to one another.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, discussing the reports during his March 11 press briefing, said the FAA would follow the NTSB’s recommendations and permanently restrict helicopter traffic along Route 4 near DCA.

“At best, we’re in a situation where we’re threading a needle allowing helicopters to fly down the same airspace as landing aircraft,” Duffy said.

Here are six key takeaways from the two NTSB reports.

1. Permanent Restrictions Needed on Helicopter Traffic

The NTSB determined that helicopter operations should be banned near two particular runways at DCA and issued an urgent recommendation for the FAA to restrict that air traffic permanently.

“We’ve determined that the existing separation distances between helicopter traffic operating on Route 4 and aircraft landing on Runway 33 are insufficient and pose an intolerable risk to aviation safety,” NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said during the news conference on March 11.

“We remain concerned about the significant potential for a future mid-air collision at DCA, which is why we are recommending a permanent solution today.”

The NTSB stated that the restrictions would cover the stretch between the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and Hains Point and recommended against helicopters flying along that same airspace when planes are taking off over the river from runway 15.

The NTSB noted that the FAA should create an alternative route for helicopters so that their public safety flights can resume. Duffy said on March 11 that he would make permanent changes to the routes per the NTSB’s recommendations.

2. Too Many Close Calls Near DCA for Too Long

Cockpit alerts, known as resolution advisories, have been triggered in high numbers over the past few years because of helicopters and planes flying in close proximity to one another near DCA.

These alerts, including “CLIMB, CLIMB” and “DESCEND, DESCEND,” warn pilots to take action to avoid collisions.

Between 2011 and 2014, at least one of these alerts occurred each month because a helicopter was close by, the NTSB stated, according to an analysis of FAA data and voluntary safety reports.

“In over half of these instances, the helicopter may have been above the route altitude restriction,” the NTSB’s preliminary report states.

Investigators said there were 85 cases in which a commercial airplane and a helicopter had less than 1,500 feet of “lateral separation” between them while flying at altitudes that were less than 200 feet apart.

An aircraft prepares to take off on the runway as a salvage vessel carrying wreckage moves from the site in the Potomac River of a midair collision between an American Airlines jet and a Black Hawk helicopter, at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Va., on Feb. 5, 2025. Ben Curtis/AP Photo

3. Problems with Air Traffic Radio Transmissions

There was a critical radio instruction roughly 17 seconds before the collision that was not heard by the pilot and other crew members on the Black Hawk helicopter, the NTSB stated.

An air traffic controller told the helicopter pilot to pass behind the American Airlines jet, but the transmission was “stepped on,” meaning that a helicopter crew member attempted to use the aircraft’s microphone within the 0.8-second window when the instruction was given.

This likely would have prevented the crew from hearing the controller’s transmission.

After analyzing the helicopter’s cockpit data recorder, the NTSB determined that “the portion of the transmission that stated ‘pass behind the’ may not have been received.”

Earlier, before this communication, the controller said on the radio that the American Airlines jet was “circling” to runway 33, but the NTSB stated that that may have also been missed by the helicopter cockpit. The word “circling” is heard in the air traffic control recordings and in the airplane’s cockpit voice recorder, but not in the helicopter’s.

4. FAA Lacks Clearly Defined Route Boundaries for Helicopters

There are “no lateral boundaries” in the FAA’s helicopter routes, NTSB investigators stated.

A chart showing these routes in Washington includes “no warning for helicopters to operate a defined distance from the shoreline.”

Duffy pointed to the NTSB’s estimate that if a helicopter is flying at its authorized altitude of 200 feet along Route 4, that would give it only 75 feet of clearance from an airplane landing on runway 33 at DCA.

Notably, the midair collision on Jan. 29 occurred after the helicopter pilots breached the altitude ceiling of 200 feet.

The NTSB stated that that separation is too close, and that it could be even closer, since “this distance decreases if the helicopter is operated farther from the shoreline.” This would put the aircraft closer to the airport, where jets land at even lower altitudes.

5. 1 Air Traffic Controller Working 2 Positions

According to investigators, one air traffic controller was working two positions that night—monitoring the radio frequencies for both the helicopter and the jet, which is allowed under certain conditions. The radio separation also prevents helicopters and jets from hearing each other’s transmissions to and from the control tower.

However, that shift handling both positions started at 3:30 p.m. The incident occurred hours later, at roughly 8:50 p.m., according to the preliminary report.

The Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport air traffic control tower at sunset in Arlington, Va., on Feb. 1, 2025. Jose Luis Magana/AP Photo

During the NTSB’s March 11 news conference, a reporter asked Homendy if more staffing could have prevented the collision.

“That is part of our investigation and is part of the analysis phase of our investigation,” she said. “Right now, we are collecting facts on air traffic control. In our preliminary report today, we will mention that there were five controllers on position.”

Homendy said there were nine controllers in the tower that night, and some were in the break room.

“We are taking a look at that,” she said. “We do not have any evidence that anybody left.

“In fact, the controller came back into rotation around 4:27 p.m.,” she said of the controller who had handled two positions, noting that combining the two positions for a whole day is “not abnormal.”

6. NTSB Relies on FAA to Enforce its Recommendations

While the NTSB is responsible for making aviation safety recommendations, it must rely on the FAA to enforce them. The FAA has instituted rules barring helicopters from the DCA airspace since the days following the crash, including a temporary restriction over six square miles near the airport.

After investigating incidents, the NTSB makes safety recommendations, which it releases to the government, the aviation industry, and the public. These recommendations highlight key changes that the board believes are necessary for transportation safety.

Since its creation in 1967, the NTSB has made more than 15,500 recommendations, with aviation making up the most at 38 percent, according to the agency’s data.

As of March 13, there are currently 278 open NTSB aviation recommendations. More than 1,000 recommendations listed as closed by the board are described as having had an “unacceptable action” taken.

Although the NTSB can make recommendations, the FAA issues regulations for airlines, airports, and other parties involved in aviation. Regulatory actions can vary from one presidential administration to another.

Rachel Acenas and Bill Pan contributed to this report.