Hearings to examine the National Transportation Safety Board preliminary report, focusing on the DCA midair collision.

Senate Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, Operations, and Innovation

2025-03-27

Source: Congress.gov

Summary

The Subcommittee on Aviation and Space convened a hearing on a recent mid-air collision involving American Airlines Flight 5342 and an Army Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport (DCA) [ 00:22:40-00:23:04 ]

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. The session focused on the National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB) preliminary report and the broader implications for aviation safety [ 00:24:32-00:24:41 ]

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. Participants expressed condolences to the families of the 67 victims and emphasized the need to prevent future tragedies [ 00:24:05-00:24:12 ]

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[ 00:28:26-00:28:52 ]

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Themes

Mid-Air Collision Investigation and Urgent Safety Recommendations

The hearing centered on the mid-air collision near DCA that resulted in 67 fatalities [ 00:23:59 ]

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. The NTSB's preliminary report highlighted alarming statistics, including over 15,000 "close proximity events" between helicopters and commercial jets at DCA between October 2021 and December 2024, with 85 incidents having less than 200 feet vertical separation [ 00:24:53-00:25:04 ]

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. The NTSB issued urgent safety recommendations to the FAA, including prohibiting nonessential helicopter operations on Route 4 between Haines Point and Wilson Bridge when runways 1-5 and 3-3 are in use, and designating an alternative route . The FAA has accepted and implemented these restrictions, making them permanent . The NTSB aims to complete its full investigation within one year .

ADS-B Technology and Military Exemptions

A significant concern was the Army Black Hawk helicopter's lack of Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) out transmission during the collision [ 00:26:37 ]

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. General Bramman stated that the Army's policy allowed ADS-B out to be turned off for national security missions, but not for routine flights, although this policy had been delegated down to company commanders . This led to questions about why such exemptions were granted, especially given that some Army helicopters were found not to be transmitting ADS-B data even when theoretically "on" . Acting Administrator Rochelot confirmed that the FAA was aware of the Department of Defense's memorandum of agreement regarding ADS-B exemptions [ 01:20:36 ]

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. However, effective immediately, the FAA now requires ADS-B out to be on for all aircraft operating in DCA Class B airspace, with very limited exceptions [ 01:21:54 ]

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[ 01:21:56 ]

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. The NTSB also highlighted its long-standing recommendation for mandatory ADS-B in capability for commercial aircraft to enhance pilot awareness .

FAA Oversight, Data Analysis, and Workforce Issues

Senators expressed frustration that the FAA failed to act on years of data indicating a high number of close calls at DCA [ 00:25:31-00:25:39 ]

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[ 01:04:31-01:04:32 ]

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. There were over 15,000 close proximity events, with 85 involving vertical separation of less than 200 feet between commercial jets and helicopters [ 00:24:58 ]

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. Acting Administrator Rochelot acknowledged that "something was missed" but stated that the FAA is now implementing artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyze data more proactively . Concerns were also raised about the air traffic controller shortage, with many working mandatory overtime . The FAA plans to hire 2,000 new controllers this year and has streamlined the hiring process, including incentivizing academy attendance . Additionally, an incident involving improper testing of counterdrone technology by the Secret Service and Navy at DCA caused false TCAS warnings for commercial flights, raising further safety concerns [ 01:13:03 ]

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Airspace Design and Safety Protocols

The NTSB's analysis revealed that the design of Helicopter Route 4 allowed for as little as 75 feet of vertical separation from aircraft approaching Runway 33, which was deemed an "intolerable risk to aviation safety" [ 02:29:19 ]

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. This design flaw was present even if helicopters adhered to the prescribed route . The FAA admitted awareness of the airspace design but did not act until after the collision . In response to NTSB recommendations, the FAA has permanently restricted mixed helicopter and fixed-wing traffic in certain DCA airspace, eliminating Helicopter Routes 4 and 6, and is actively reviewing similar "hotspots" nationwide for potential risks [ 01:50:17 ]

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Tone of the Meeting

The meeting's tone was deeply serious, concerned, and urgent, driven by the recent tragic loss of life [ 00:23:56-00:23:59 ]

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. Senators expressed strong condolences to the grieving families present [ 00:28:26-00:28:52 ]

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. There was a bipartisan consensus on the critical need for immediate action and systemic changes to enhance aviation safety, prevent future accidents, and address what many perceived as preventable failures [ 00:29:45-00:30:01 ]

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. Frustration was evident regarding the FAA's past inaction despite clear warning signs and data, leading to a call for greater accountability and transparency from all agencies involved [ 01:04:31-01:04:32 ]

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Participants

Transcript

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We will come to order.
The Subcommittee on Aviation and Space of the United States Senate's Committee on Commerce convenes today for what I consider a very important hearing.  Fifty-seven days ago, our nation witnessed the first major U.S.  commercial passenger flight crash in nearly 16 years.   Families had their loved ones taken from them in an instant.  Children lost their parents.  Husbands lost their wives.  A Kansas couple lost their daughter.  And a rural community in our state called Kiowa lost a husband and wife, a pillar of the community, who were traveling to visit their daughter in college.  I've taken that American flight before.  There were many Kansans on that flight.   and several of the members of this committee lost constituents on the American Airlines Flight 5342 and the Army's Black Hawk helicopter.  In addition to the families who are grieving, our first responders made heroic efforts to find survivors and save lives, and the investigators have spent nearly two months searching the Potomac River and working to reconstruct wreckage to find answers.   It has been a difficult 57 days.  67 lives that were lost on January 29th were taken prematurely in an accident that by all indications should have been avoided.  Now the families of these victims, the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Transportation Safety Board, the U.S.  Army, and Congress are tasked with how to best honor the memory   and make certain accidents like this never happen again.
I want to highlight NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy and NTSB Board for their diligence and transparency throughout the investigations.  That job obviously is not an easy one, but it's been done with professionalism and care.  It's their work that brings us here today to review.   NTSB's preliminary report into the mid-air collision provides insight into the events of January 29th, but many questions, certainly in my view, many questions still need to be answered, not only by the NTSB's investigation, but by our nation's aviation safety regulator and by the Army.  The preliminary report provides alarming statistics in using existing FAA data on the risks at DCA to aviation safety.   That data includes and NTSB provides these numbers.  In a 13 year period, not a single month went by without at least one quote close call between a helicopter and a commercial jet operating at DCA.   Between October 21 and December 24, there were 85 incidents where the lateral separation between a commercial jet and a helicopter was less than 1,500 feet and the vertical separation was less than 200 feet.  And during that same timeframe, there were more than 15,000, quote, close proximity events between a helicopter and a commercial airplane.   the NTSB findings that it is possible for a helicopter on Route 4 to have as little as 75 feet of vertical separation from airplanes on approach to runway 33.  I commend the NTSB for issuing urgent safety recommendations, and I commend the FAA in acting to implement them, particularly the permit restriction of nonessential helicopter operations at DCA.
However, I want to know how, with these statistics in the FAA files, why prior to January 29th, the agency failed to improve safety protocols at Reagan National Airport.  This committee worked tirelessly to pass an FAA reauthorization bill last Congress that prioritized safety, enabling our industry to continue innovating and equipping the FAA with the resources necessary to keep our skies safe.   We need a permanent, confirmed FAA administrator to implement this important framework for the future of the industry.  President Trump recently nominated Brian Bedford to lead the FAA, and I look forward to his testimony before this committee in the near future.  I commend Secretary Duffy for his push to modernize airspace, and I look forward to this subcommittee working together to keep America's traveling public safe and improve   public trust, and our air travel system.  Demand for commercial aviation is expected to grow 4 percent each year over the next two decades, along with new technology and commercial spacecraft entering our airspace.  This will further place demands upon our airspace and require the tools and guidelines to ensure a safe airspace.   American Airlines Flight 5342 and Priority Air Transport 25 carried innocent civilians, selfless service members, talented figure skaters, fathers and mothers, husbands and wives, sons and daughters,   And while Congress' response to the January 29th ought to be deliberate and not executed in a knee-jerk fashion, Congress must make certain that this loss of life occurs never again.  In this early investigation, we have many unresolved questions.  Among those, for me, is why was the ADS-B out, not transmitting on the Blackhawk?
Was it turned off or was there equipment malfunction?  Why had precautions not been taken to mitigate the risks of collisions between commercial aircraft and rotor wing near DCA?  The statistics I just described.  What is the severity of this issue at other airports where combined traffic is also high?  What explains the discrepancy between the altitude readings of the crew of the Black Hawk?   Why did the Blackhawks' invalid pressure altitude data influence other systems that utilize this source?  How the use of night vision goggles may have impacted the Blackhawk helicopter pilot's line of vision?  And finally, how should the FAA evaluate combining duties of air traffic controllers?  I'm appreciative for our witnesses being here today.

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