Hearing Reveals Concerns About D.C. Airspace Before Fatal Collision

Local medevac operator says his team is ‘very uncomfortable’ when certain military helicopters are flying.

Zach Vasile

Tuesday, August 05, 2025 at 03:09 PM ET

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Zach Vasile

A U.S. Army Black Hawk flies over Washington, D.C. [Credit: Nicholas Priest/U.S. Air Force]

Key Takeaways:

A hearing into a deadly air collision over Washington D.C. unearthed significant concerns about the safety of the capital's airspace, with one witness calling it the "least safe" it has ever been.
Investigators highlighted an over-reliance on visual separation, especially by military helicopters, which is challenging and problematic due to uncooperative military aircraft and a "make-it-work" mentality among understaffed air traffic controllers.
Further issues included faulty altimeters on military helicopters, broader systemic challenges within air traffic control (e.g., controller shortages, high turnover), and concerns raised by the NTSB about the FAA's transparency and willingness to take ownership of safety risks.

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A hearing looking at the deadly collision of an American Airlines passenger jet and a military helicopter over the Potomac River in January unearthed a number of concerns about the safety of the airspace over Washington, D.C., with one witness calling it the “least safe” it has ever been.

The three-day session, organized and headed by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), touched on issues with air traffic control (ATC) operations, faulty instruments on military helicopters, and even concerns that the FAA may be holding back what it knows about the events leading up the crash, which killed 67 people.