NTSB makes ‘urgent safety recommendations’ after deadly DC plane crash | CNN

NTSB makes ‘urgent safety recommendations’ after deadly DC plane crash

Elise Hammond

Maureen Chowdhury

Alexandra Skores

By Elise Hammond, Maureen Chowdhury, Aditi Sangal and Alexandra Skores, CNN

Updated 6:11 PM EDT, Tue March 11, 2025

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Pete Muntean shares what pilots are saying about the flight routes around Reagan National Airport

1:24 • Source: CNN

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Pete Muntean shares what pilots are saying about the flight routes around Reagan National Airport

1:24

What we covered here today

• “Urgent safety recommendations”: Helicopters should be barred from a four-mile stretch over the Potomac River when flights are landing on Reagan National Airport’s Runway 33, National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said in a briefing as the NTSB unveiled “urgent safety recommendations” after the deadly mid-air collision in January.

• Thousands of near-miss events: The warning signs leading up to the disaster over the Potomac River were there, NTSB investigators said in their preliminary report, citing data that detailed thousands of near collisions at Reagan Washington National Airport over years.

• About the crash: All 67 people on the aircraft — 64 on the American Airlines plane and three in the Blackhawk helicopter — died in the January 29 collision. It was the deadliest aviation disaster in the US since 2001.

19 Posts

Our live coverage of today’s briefing from the National Transportation Safety Board has concluded. Please scroll through the posts below or read the main takeaways here.

Key takeaways from NTSB's preliminary report on the deadly midair collision near DC

From CNN's Alexandra Skores, Pete Muntean, Aaron Cooper and Ray Sanchez

The National Transportation Safety Board today recommended that helicopter traffic be banned from a four-mile stretch over the Potomac River when flights are landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, hours later, agreed to adopt the recommendation and continue with flight restrictions put in place after a deadly midair collision in January, saying the nation was “threading the needle” in allowing helicopters to fly down the same airspace as landing aircraft.

The “urgent safety recommendation” is part of the NTSB’s preliminary report on the midair collision between a passenger jet and a US Army helicopter in which 67 people were killed in the deadliest crash in the US in nearly two decades. The report did not identify the probable cause of the crash — which is expected to take more than a year.

Here are some key takeaways from the NTSB’s preliminary report:

Helicopter routes near airport pose safety risk: The helicopter route the Black Hawk was following when it collided with the regional jet should be closed under certain conditions, according to the new recommendation from the NTSB. Specifically, the recommendation states: “Prohibit operations on helicopter Route 4 between Hains Point and the Wilson Bridge when runways 15 and 33 are being used for departures and arrivals, respectively, at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.” It also calls for the designation of “an alternative helicopter route that can be used to facilitate travel” when that route is closed.
Warning signs were missed: The warning signs leading up to the disaster over the Potomac River were there, NTSB investigators said, citing data detailing thousands of near collisions at the airport over a number of years. Investigators uncovered 15,214 “near miss events” between 2021 and 2024 where aircraft were within one nautical mile of colliding, with a vertical separation of less than 400 feet. Additionally, there were also 85 cases where two aircraft were separated by less than 1,500 feet, with a vertical separation of less than 200 feet, according to the NTSB.
Military pilots may not have heard control tower: The preliminary report says investigators found the pilots may not have heard some calls from the control tower. The Army helicopter crew may not have realized they were flying higher than they were supposed to, data suggests. The report said a portion of the tower radio transmission stating that the jet was “circling” may not have been received by the helicopter crew.
One controller worked two positions: One controller, investigators said, was working two positions in the tower the night of the collision. While that is allowed in certain circumstances, the preliminary report shows they started handling both positions at 3:30 p.m., and the accident occurred more than five hours later at approximately 8:50 p.m. But NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy dodged a question from reporters about whether the collision could have been prevented with more staffing.
NTSB makes recommendations but cannot enforce them: It’s up to the Federal Aviation Administration to turn NTSB’s recommendation into action. The FAA has barred helicopters from the area since the days after the accident, with a temporary restriction over six square miles near Reagan National Airport. The NTSB makes safety recommendations stemming from its investigations. These alerts are released to the government, industry and the public. They identify critical changes the board believes need to be made regarding transportation safety.

Transportation secretary says FAA will adopt helicopter flight path restrictions following NTSB's report

From CNN's Alexandra Skores

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaks during a news conference on Tuesday at the Department of Transportation in Washington, DC.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaks during a news conference on Tuesday at the Department of Transportation in Washington, DC.

Jacquelyn Martin/AP

The Federal Aviation Administration will adopt certain restrictions on helicopter routes at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, following a recommendation by the National Transportation Safety Board Tuesday, according to Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.

On Tuesday, the NTSB unveiled the preliminary report for the deadly midair collision that killed 67 people in January. In the report, the agency called for helicopters to be barred from a four-mile stretch over the Potomac River when flights are landing on Reagan National Airport’s Runway 33.

”We’re in a situation where we’re threading the needle allowing helicopters to fly down the same airspace as landing aircraft,” Duffy told reporters. “And why this information wasn’t studied and known before January 29 is an important question.”

By tomorrow, he said there will be notice for pilots details on the route changes.

The National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday that while reviewing 944,179 operations between October 2021 and December 2024, investigators uncovered 15,214 occurrences of “near-miss events” where aircraft were within one nautical mile of colliding and vertical separation of less than 400 feet.

CNN’s Pete Muntean asked the secretary how upsetting the data was for the close calls at the DC airport.

Duffy said he spoke with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Tuesday about giving the military and Department of Defense a route around the restricted airspace. Duffy said there still will be exclusions for presidential air travel, vice presidential air travel, life-saving missions or law enforcement.

American Airlines and pilot union "grateful" for NTSB safety recommendations after January collision

From CNN's Elise Hammond

American Airlines and the largest pilot union in the world are expressing their support for the National Transportation Safety Board’s new safety recommendation issued after the start of an investigation into the deadly collision earlier this year.

The NTSB released a preliminary report on its investigation Tuesday, detailing much of its fact-finding efforts, but stopping short of offering analysis on the cause of the collision. The collision happened between an American Airlines plane and a military helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport near Washington, DC.

NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said the board recommends that helicopters should be barred from a four-mile stretch over the Potomac River when flights are landing on Reagan National Airport’s Runway 33.

All 64 people on the American Airlines plane and three people in the Blackhawk helicopter died in the crash, which is the deadliest aviation accident in the United States in almost two decades.

NTSB chair reassures public that "aviation is incredibly safe"

From CNN's Aditi Sangal

National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy, in a message for people flying in and out of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, said “aviation is incredibly safe.”

“However, there are safety issues and areas where we need to improve to make sure that we are at zero. And so, that is the role of the NTSB in investigating. This is why we issue urgent safety recommendations,” she added.

NTSB chair won't say yet if more staffing could have prevented deadly collision

From CNN's Elise Hammond

The control tower at Ronald Reagan National Airport is seen on February 1 in Arlington, Virginia.

The control tower at Ronald Reagan National Airport is seen on February 1 in Arlington, Virginia.

Al Drago/Getty Images

Jennifer Homendy, the chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, dodged a question from reporters about if the deadly mid-air collision between a plane and an Army helicopter could have been prevented with more staffing.

The crash that happened at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport outside Washington, DC, killed a total of 67 people.

She said there were nine controllers total in the tower, some were in the break room.

At the time of the collision, one controller was working two positions in the tower, investigators previously said.

“We are taking a look at that. We do not have any evidence that anybody left. In fact, the controller came back into rotation around 4:27 p.m.,” she said, adding that two other positions were also combined for the entire day, “which is not abnormal.”

The preliminary report also outlines that the American Airlines flight was communicating with the control tower on one frequency, and the helicopter pilots were using another. Because of this, the crews of each flight “were not able to hear each other’s transmissions to the controller, but the controller’s transmissions to each aircraft would be audible to both flight crews,” the report said.

This post has been updated with additional details from the report.

"It shouldn't take a tragedy" to jump into action, NTSB chair says

From CNN's Aditi Sangal

National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said she is devastated for the families who lost loved ones in the mid-air collision in January.

“It shouldn’t take a tragedy to require immediate action” when there were clear indicators where safety trending could have occurred, she added.

Some context: Homendy cited data that detailed thousands of near collisions at Reagan Washington National Airport over a few years. The NTSB said Tuesday investigators uncovered 15,214 “near-miss events” between October 2021 and December 2024, where aircraft were within one nautical mile of colliding and vertical separation of less than 400 feet.

“That data from October 2021 through December 2024, (the FAA) could have used that information any time to determine that we have a trend here and a problem here, and looked at that route; that didn’t occur, which is why we’re taking action today. But unfortunately, people lost lives, and loved ones are grieving,” she later added.

There were warning signs before January collision, investigators say

From CNN's Alexandra Skores, Aaron Cooper and Pete Muntean

The warning signs leading up to the deadly disaster over the Potomac River were there, investigators said, citing data that detailed thousands of near collisions at Reagan Washington National Airport over years.

The National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday that while reviewing 944,179 operations between October 2021 and December 2024, investigators uncovered 15,214 occurrences of “near-miss events” where aircraft were within one nautical mile of colliding and vertical separation of less than 400 feet.

There were also 85 cases where two aircraft were laterally separated by less than 1,500 feet and a vertical separation of less than 200 feet.

NTSB concerned about potential for another collision at DC-area airport, chair says

From CNN's Elise Hammond

The National Transportation Safety Board is concerned about more collisions involving helicopters near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in the future, the board’s chair, Jennifer Homendy, said Tuesday.

It comes after the NTSB released an preliminary report on the collision between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines plane earlier this year. A total of 67 people were killed in the crash, which is the deadliest aviation accident in the United States in almost two decades.

Homendy said that following the collision, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy moved to restrict helicopter traffic around the airport and over the Potomac River until the end of March.

NTSB finds a majority of encounters at DCA between helicopters and aircrafts occurred on approach to landing

From CNN's Maureen Chowdhury and Pete Muntean

The National Transportation Safety Board found that a majority of encounters between commercial aircrafts and helicopters happened on the plane’s approach to landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport.

In the preliminary report released by NTSB, the board reviewed information gathered from voluntary safety reporting programs along with Federal Aviation Administration data “regarding encounters between helicopters and commercial aircraft near DCA from 2011 through 2024 indicated that a vast majority of the reported events occurred on approach to landing.”

According to the report, the “Initial analysis found that at least one TCAS resolution advisory (RA) was triggered per month due to proximity to a helicopter. In over half of these instances, the helicopter may have been above the route altitude restriction.”

NTSB issues "urgent safety recommendations," saying helicopter routes near DC-area airport pose safety risk

From CNN's Alexandra Skores and Pete Muntean

NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy speaks during a press conference on Tuesday.

NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy speaks during a press conference on Tuesday.

Pool

Helicopters should be barred from a four-mile stretch over the Potomac River when flights are landing on Reagan National Airport’s Runway 33, National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said in a briefing Tuesday.

The helicopter route a US Army Black Hawk was following when it collided with an American Airlines regional jet on January 29 should be closed under certain conditions, according to a new recommendation from the NTSB.

The recommendation reads, “Prohibit operations on helicopter Route 4 between Hains Point and the Wilson Bridge when runways 15 and 33 are being used for departures and arrivals, respectively, at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport,” and also calls for the designation of “an alternative helicopter route that can be used to facilitate travel between Hains Point and the Wilson Bridge when that segment of Route 4 is closed.”

The investigative agency’s “urgent safety recommendations” comes as part of its preliminary report on the mid-air collision that killed 67 people nearly six weeks ago.

Right now, planes at the airport are stopped for necessary helicopter flights — like when President Donald Trump leaves the White House on Marine One — which has led to flight delays and diversions.

A preview of what's in NTSB's preliminary report

From CNN's Aditi Sangal

National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy started Tuesday’s news conference by previewing what is in the board’s preliminary report releasing today.

Here’s a broad list of things in the report, according to Homendy:

Crew experience in terms of flight hours.
The history of the flights, which was also discussed at a past press conference.
Information on the recorders: This area still requires “a lot of work,” she said, explaining that the Black Hawks combined cockpit voice and flight data recorder does not record date information, time information or helicopter position information. There’s inconsistency in the data, which led NTSB to declare the pressure altitude parameter on the Black Hawk as invalid. “We’re now in the process of determining whether that may have affected other helicopter systems that used pressure altitude as a data source, such as the altimeters,” she added.
Operators
The aircraft involved
Air traffic control at the time of the crash
Helicopter routes
The airport emergency response
Recovery operations
Wreckage exams

NTSB is still in "fact-finding phase" as it releases preliminary report

From CNN's Elise Hammond

The National Transportation Safety Board is still in “the fact-finding phase” of its investigation into the collision between a helicopter and American Airlines plane near Washington, DC, in late January, the board’s chair said Tuesday.

She reiterated that the information included in the preliminary report, which the board released today, contains “only the facts that we’re able to validate and release at this time.”

These facts, Homendy said, will serve “as the foundation” for the NTSB’s analysis of what happened and subsequent safety recommendations.

“If we still have questions on something, or there’s an area that we need to do more investigative work on, we’re going to do that work, and that takes time,” she said.

This post has been updated with more comments from Homendy.

NTSB releases preliminary report on mid-air collision between plane and helicopter

From CNN's Alexandra Skores

US Navy recovery teams lift the back wing section of an American Airliners plane from the Potomac in Arlington, Virginia on February 4, 2025. Operations to salvage the wreckage from a deadly collision between a US Army helicopter and a passenger jet continued as rescuers said 55 victims had so far been identified. Dozens of victims have been pulled from the icy Potomac River, and rescuers voiced confidence that those remaining would be retrieved in the massive operation to recover the plane that collided in midair with a Black Hawk military helicopter. (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP) (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)

US Navy recovery teams lift the back wing section of an American Airliners plane from the Potomac in Arlington, Virginia on February 4.

Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images

The National Transportation Safety Board issued a preliminary report Tuesday on a collision between a passenger plane and US Army helicopter, the deadliest accident in the US in nearly 20 years.

American Eagle flight 5342 was moments away from landing on that runway when the military helicopter struck the jet’s right side at an altitude of roughly 300 feet, investigators said.

Tuesday’s report did not identify the “probable cause” of the accident, which is expected to take more than a year. The incident killed 67 people involved.

Transportation secretary will hold news conference after NTSB update

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy will hold a news conference after the National Transportation Safety Board issues its preliminary report on January’s mid-air collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Duffy’s news conference is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET.

Figure skating champions and a "bright star" helicopter pilot among DC air collision victims

From CNN's Alaa Elassar, Samantha Waldenberg, Taylor Galgano, David Williams, Amanda Jackson, Jessica Coacci, Haley Britzky and Sara Smart

Roberto Marquez digs a hole for a cross as part of a memorial for the victims of the midair collision between an American Airlines plane and a military helicopter on February 1 in Arlington, Virginia.

Roberto Marquez digs a hole for a cross as part of a memorial for the victims of the midair collision between an American Airlines plane and a military helicopter on February 1 in Arlington, Virginia.

Al Drago/Getty Images

Before American Eagle Flight 5342 took to the air from Wichita, Kansas, on the evening of January 29, on its way to the nation’s capital, figure skater Spencer Lane snapped a photo of the plane’s wing stretched out over the tarmac toward the horizon.

A grayish-blue overcast sky formed a shimmery curtain over the setting sun in the image the teenager posted to his Instagram Stories. The up-and-coming skater wrote “ICT->DCA,” referencing the airport codes for the departure and destination cities.

Lane, his mother, as well as other budding skating stars, their families and coaches from the US and Russia awaited their departure after attending the US Figure Skating Championships and a development camp for young athletes.

At Reagan National Airport, Hamaad Raza received a text message from his wife: The flight was about 20 minutes from touching down. He later showed the message to a reporter for CNN affiliate WUSA.

Tragically, all 67 people on board the American Airlines regional jet and US Army Black Hawk helicopter that collided midair in late January lost their lives in the deadliest aviation disaster in the US since 2001.

Among the victims were three soldiers aboard the helicopter, four members of the jet’s flight crew, 28 skaters and family members affiliated with US Figure Skating, seven friends on a hunting trip and other passengers who are mourned by their family and friends.

These are some of the victims of the tragedy and how loved ones remember them:

A family of four from Virginia: Everly Livingston, 14, and her sister Alydia, 11, were promising young figure skaters, dad Peter Livingston played hockey and mom Donna was very active in the girls’ lives, family friend Kim Urban previously told CNN’s Anderson Cooper. The family was on their way home from Wichita, where they participated in events surrounding the US Figure Skating Championships. “The Livingstons were just — they were just a big personality family. They were loving, they were thoughtful. Donna and Peter were extraordinarily supportive parents. They were loving parents. They were doing anything for their children,” Urban said. “Alydia and Everly were … bright children, very talented skaters and super bubbly.”

A female Black Hawk pilot: The pilot who was co-piloting the aircraft when it collided with the passenger plane was a “driven and hardworking” officer who “was made for” Army aviation, those who knew her recalled to CNN. The Army officially identified the pilot as Capt. Rebecca Lobach, 28, one of the three-person crew inside the UH-60 Black Hawk. A statement released by the Lobach family called her a “bright star” who was “kind, generous, brilliant, funny, ambitious and strong.”

Asra Hussain Raza: A daughter of Indian immigrants, she graduated with honors in 2020 from Indiana University and married her college sweetheart in August 2023, her father-in-law, Dr. Hashim Raza, told CNN. “She went out of her way for everybody,” he said.

Read more about those who tragically lost their lives in the deadly collision.

CNN’s Alexandra Skores, Pete Muntean, Holly Yan, Juan Carlos Lopez, Jillian Sykes, Lauren Mascarenhas, Dalia Faheid, Lex Harvey, Kia Fatahi, Teele Rebane, Sarah Dewberry, Max Rego, Zenebou Sylla, Emma Tucker, Zoe Sottile and Dawn Sawyer contributed to this report.

The midair collision over the Potomac River was the deadliest in nearly 24 years

From CNN's Alex Leeds Matthews

The collision between an American Airlines regional jet and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter on January 29 over the Potomac River left no survivors.

The passenger jet was carrying 64 people, while the Army helicopter was operated by three personnel. Among the dead were American Airlines pilots Jonathan Campos and Samuel Lilley, two flight attendants, and several members of the US figure skating community, according to friends, family and sports groups.

Data shows that while some years in the 1990s saw hundreds of flight fatalities, total fatalities since 2002 have amounted to fewer than 200.

CNN’s Rebekah Riess and Lex Harvey contributed to this report.

What we know so far about the fatal mid-air collision near DC's Reagan airport

From CNN's Rebekah Riess, Lex Harvey, Hanna Park, Alexandra Skores and Maureen Chowdhury

Authorities will give an update today on the January mid-air collision between an American Airlines passenger jet and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter. The crash — which killed all 64 people on the plane and all three people in the helicopter — became the deadliest aviation disaster in the US since 2001.

Here is what we know about the crash:

NTSB leading investigation: The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into the collision. All major pieces of the American Airlines plane and Black Hawk helicopter were recovered, according to NTSB, including both the flight data and cockpit voice recorders — known as the black boxes — from the jet. The helicopter’s flight data and voice recorder — combined in one black box — were also recovered.
Victims’ remains recovered from the Potomac: All 67 people killed in the collision were recovered and identified last month, officials said. Among the dead are American Airlines pilots Jonathan Campos and Samuel Lilley, two flight attendants and several members of the US figure skating community, according to friends, family and sports groups.
Collision on final approach: The crash occurred as Flight 5342 prepared for landing. The Black Hawk helicopter was on a training flight at the time of the incident, an official told CNN. Video of the incident shows a massive fireball erupting upon impact, and the two aircraft crashed into the Potomac River. Audio between the helicopter and air traffic control reveals communications were relayed seconds before the crash.
Both flights were on standard patterns: Both flights were on their respective “standard flight pattern” when the crash took place, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said. “This was not unusual with a military aircraft flying the river and aircraft landing at DCA.”
Black Hawk was on training flight: The collision occurred while the helicopter with the 12th Aviation Battalion was conducting a routine training for pilots who take part in “continuity of government” missions, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said. He called the collision a “tragic mistake” during remarks from the White House. “There was some, some sort of an elevation issue that we have immediately begun investigating at the DOD and Army level.”
Congestion concerns: The airspace over Reagan National Airport is among the busiest in the country, and passenger planes frequently share the airspace with helicopters.At least three incidents of close calls involving helicopters near the airport have been reported in the past three years.

Transportation safety board to provide update on deadly crash between plane and helicopter

From CNN's Alexandra Skores, Aaron Cooper and Pete Muntean

The National Transportation Safety Board will provide an update today on their investigation of the January 29 mid-air collision between a US Army helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet landing near Washington DC.

NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy and Brice Banning, the investigator-in-charge, will provide the update at 2 p.m. ET.

The briefing will focus on factual information, but it will not identify a probable cause of the crash. A final conclusion on that usually takes more than a year.

A total of 67 people were killed in the crash, which is the deadliest aviation accident in the United States in almost two decades.

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