Federal private investigators have raised concerns of a capacity for another deadly plane crash at Reagan National Airport, after a midair collision earlier this year killed 67.

The National Transportation Safety Board gave an upgrade on their investigation into the cause of the catastrophe which took place on January 29 in Washington.

An American Airlines jetliner and a Black Hawk helicopter collided in midair over the Potomac River, killing everybody on board both airplanes.

As part of a preliminary report launched on Tuesday, investigators raised issues of more crashes including helicopters at the airport.

NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy said: 'We remain concerned about the substantial capacity for future mid-air accident at DCA.'

Her issues revolve around Transport Secretary Sean Duffy moving to limit helicopter traffic around the location, but that is set to stop at the end of the month.

When police, medical or presidential transport helicopters should utilize the area civilian airplanes are stopped from remaining in the same area.

Homendy stated the NTSB is now recommending that the FAA discover a 'permanent solution' for alternate paths for helicopters when two of the airport's runways are in use.

Emergency units react after a passenger aircraft hit a helicopter in the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington Airport on January 30, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia

Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Bureau (NTSB) Jennifer Homendy talks to reporters about the 29 January mid-air collision

It was also revealed on Tuesday that there was alerting check in the lead up to the fatal disaster.

Those penetrating the crash went through 944,179 operations between October 2021 and December 2024.

It was uncovered that 15,214 'near-miss events' of aircrafts getting notifies about helicopters being in close proximity between October 2021 and December 2024.

The NTSB likewise said that there were 85 cases where two aircraft where laterally split by less than 1,500 feet, and a vertical separation of less than 200 feet.

Homendy included: 'That information from October 2021 through December 2024, (the FAA) could have utilized that information whenever to figure out that we have a trend here and an issue here, and took a look at that path; that didn't take place, which is why we're taking action today. But sadly, people lost lives, and liked ones are grieving.'

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy knocked these findings at a later interview on Tuesday.

Duffy stated: 'I believe the question is when this information can be found in how did the FAA not know. How did they not study the information to say "hi, this is a hot area, we are having near misses and if we don't change our ways we are gon na lose lives".'

He included: 'That wasn't done, maybe there was a concentrate on something besides safety.'

Duffy would later on included when questioned by a reporter about the near misses out on that the data had 'p *** ed him off'.

Pictured: Parts of the wreckage seen sitting in the Potomac River after Flight 5342 hit an Army Black Hawk helicopter on Wednesday night, eliminating 67 people

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Investigators believe that the helicopter involved in the crash might have had incorrect elevation readings in the minutes before the crash.

The crash most likely occurred at an elevation just under 300 feet, as the plane came down towards the chopper, which was above its 200-foot limitation for that location.

On Tuesday American Airlines welcomed the report by the NTSB, stating: 'We're grateful for the National Transportation Safety Board's immediate safety suggestions to restrict helicopter traffic near DCA and for its thorough examination.

'We will continue to coordinate closely with PSA Airlines as it complies as an investigative party member.'

The helicopter pilots may have likewise missed out on part of another communication, when the tower said the jet was turning toward a various runway, Homendy stated last month.

The helicopter was on a 'check' flight that night where the pilot was undergoing a yearly test and a test on using night vision safety glasses, Homendy said.

Investigators believe the team was using night vision goggles throughout the flight.

The Army has said the Black Hawk crew was extremely experienced, and accustomed to the congested skies around the country ´ s capital.

At the time of the accident, a single air traffic controller was at the same time monitoring both the helicopter and plane traffic.

Those tasks are usually managed in between 2 people from 10am up until 9:30 pm, according to an early FAA report seen by The New york city Times.

Those jobs are generally dealt with in between 2 people from 10am till 9:30 pm, according to the report.

Surveillance video footage taken from inside the airport recorded the moment the two collided in midair

At the time of the crash, a single air traffic controller was all at once keeping an eye on both the helicopter and aircraft traffic. Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is seen here

After 9:30 pm the tasks are normally integrated and left to someone as the airport sees less traffic later on in the night.

A supervisor reportedly decided to integrate those tasks before the scheduled cutoff time however, and permitted one air traffic controller to leave work early.

The FAA report stated that staffing setup 'was not regular for the time of day and volume of traffic'.

Reagan National has actually been understaffed for lots of years, with simply 19 fully licensed controllers since September 2023 - well below the target of 30 - according to the most recent Air Traffic Controller Workforce Plan submitted to Congress.

The scenario appeared to have improved considering that then, as a source told CNN the Reagan National control tower was 85 percent staffed with 24 of 28 positions filled.

Chronic understaffing at air traffic control towers is absolutely nothing brand-new, with well-known causes including high turnover and spending plan cuts.

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In order to fill the spaces, controllers are often asked to work 10-hour days, six days a week.

After the release of the report, previous Inspector General of the US Department of Transportation Mary Schiavo deemed the findings as 'unusual'.

She said: 'This NTSB action is highly unusual. The release of an emergency situation recommendation requesting the FAA take instant action, before the completion of the NTSB examination is uncommon.'

The 2 aircraft had collided in a substantial fireball that showed up on dashcams of cars driving on highways that snake around the airport, before plunging into the river.

Less than a month later, on February 17, a Delta guest airplane crashed-landed upside down in disorderly scenes at Toronto Pearson International Airport in Canada.

Miraculously, everybody on board survived after being suspended upside-down by their seatbelts for a number of minutes till they tentatively began leaving.

The airplane had been heading to Toronto from Minneapolis - Saint Paul International Airport with 76 travelers and four crew members on board.

Some 21 individuals were taken to the health center for treatment to small injuries, and Delta has actually used each person a no-strings $30,000 payment in settlement.

And the airplane carnage is continuous - on Sunday, yet another jet crash-landed, this time in a car park of a suburban Pennsylvania retirement home.

Dramatic footage revealed the Beechcraft A36TC erupt in flames in the parking lot of Brethren Village in Manheim Township. Five individuals were hurried to healthcare facility.

Medics, ambulances, and emergency automobiles rushed to the scene in Lancaster County as flames engulfed the plane and neighboring lorries.

The aircraft took off as set up on Sunday afternoon, however rapidly asked for to land back on the tarmac due to the fact that its door had actually opened.

American Airlines