Critical Learning From Potomac Midair: Why ADS-B In Is Non-Negotiable

NTSB hearing on tragic collision highlighted numerous issues that different organizations had failed to address over many years.

Max Trescott

Thursday, October 02, 2025 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport [Credit: Mark Stebnicki/Pexels]

Key Takeaways:

The NTSB investigation determined the midair collision was a systemic failure, not merely individual errors, stemming from long-standing and unaddressed safety issues across various organizations.
Key contributing factors included ignored recommendations to lower air traffic arrival rates, an dangerously close helicopter route to an airport's arrival corridor, and software flaws preventing the Black Hawk helicopter from transmitting ADS-B Out.
The regional jet's older traffic display lacked crucial modern features like relative motion vectors, which are available in advanced ADS-B In systems and provide clearer indications of collision courses.
The author argues that widespread and fully functional ADS-B In and Out on both aircraft would have "almost certainly prevented the accident," highlighting its vital role in enhancing aviation safety.

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I spent three full days listening to the National Transportation Safety Board hearings into the midair collision of an Army Black Hawk helicopter and a regional jet over the Potomac that killed 67 people. There was over 30 hours of testimony, with the final day wrapping up at 10 p.m..

I then pulled the most interesting audio clips from each day and posted them on my new NTSB News Talk podcast that I cohost.