NTSB Issues Recommendations After Fatal D.C. Collision

Investigators push for adoption and use of ADS-B Out and In.

Meg Godlewski

Wednesday, February 18, 2026 at 11:30 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Zach Vasile

The air traffic control tower at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (KDCA). [Shutterstock/TJ Brown]

Key Takeaways:

The NTSB determined the January 2025 midair collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport was caused by the FAA's placement and management of helicopter routes, overreliance on visual separation, and the Army's failure regarding pilot altimeter awareness.
Key recommendations include the mandatory installation and use of ADS-B In/Out and airborne collision avoidance systems to significantly improve pilots' situational awareness and collision avoidance.
The report also calls for enhanced air traffic control training in workload management and threat assessment, improved data sharing of helicopter routes for civilian operators, and FAA rulemaking to manage airport capacity and review existing procedures.

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The installation and use of ADS-B In aboard aircraft in addition to the use of ADS-B Out tops the list of recommendations made by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in its final report on the midair collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (KDCA) in January 2025.

The use of ADS-B Out and ADS-B In can give pilots better situational awareness as they can “see” where other traffic is, provided that traffic is also using ADS-B Out and In.