DOT’s Inspector General Launches Audit of FAA After D.C. Collision

Investigation will focus on FAA’s oversight of Washington National Airport.

Zach Vasile

Saturday, August 09, 2025 at 08:00 AM ET

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Zach Vasile

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

Key Takeaways:

The U.S. Transportation Department's inspector general has launched an audit of the FAA's oversight of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) following a fatal midair collision.
Requested by Congressional leaders, the audit will investigate the FAA's airspace design and management around DCA, along with an exemption allowing federal aircraft to operate without active ADS-B Out technology.
This investigation follows an NTSB hearing that criticized the FAA for failing to provide information and revealed a disconnect between air traffic controllers and FAA leadership regarding systemic problems at the Washington National air traffic control facility.

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The U.S. Transportation Department’s inspector general has launched an audit of the FAA’s oversight of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (KDCA) in connection with a midair collision over Washington, D.C., that killed 67 people.

In a statement released Friday, the inspector general’s office said the audit was requested by the leadership of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, the Senate Homeland Security Committee, and additional senators and members of Congress.