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 midair collision was identified as a "system failure" resulting from numerous unaddressed safety issues across various organizations, rather than isolated individual errors.
Specific failures included ignored recommendations to lower airport arrival rates, software errors preventing the Black Hawk helicopter's ADS-B Out transmission, and undocumented altimeter inaccuracies due to rotor wash.
The regional jet's traffic system lacked modern ADS-B In capabilities and crucial features like "relative motion" vectors, which would have provided clearer indications of an impending collision.
The author emphasizes that widespread adoption of advanced ADS-B In and Out systems, especially those with intuitive traffic display features, is critical for preventing future midair accidents.

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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.