67 Dead After Jet Slams Into Military Helicopter — Could It Have Been Prevented?

Seventeen months before the devastating midair collision involving an American Airlines^® flight and a Black Hawk helicopter, pilots and aviation experts raised alarms about a troubling rise in near misses at U.S. airports. Despite warnings, the systemic issues that contributed to those incidents remained unaddressed, culminating in the Jan. 29, 2025, disaster over Washington, D.C.

A Disaster Foretold

On the night of Jan. 29, a CRJ700 regional jet, operating as an American Airlines flight, collided midair with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter while approaching Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The jet, carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, was descending for landing when it struck the helicopter, which had three soldiers onboard. Authorities confirmed the following morning that no survivors had been found.

Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) launched an immediate probe, but for many in the aviation industry, the tragedy was not a surprise. A recent investigative report from the New York Times had revealed a dramatic increase in close calls between aircraft, both in the sky and on the tarmac.

The Growing Threat of Near Misses

Near collisions between aircraft have surged nationwide, occurring at nearly every major airport and involving all major airlines. The Times' investigation cited over 300 reports of close encounters in the most recent 12-month period available, based on a confidential NASA database where pilots and air traffic controllers report safety concerns.

A major contributing factor, according to aviation experts, is a severe shortage of air traffic controllers. As of August 2023, only three of the country's 313 air traffic control facilities met the FAA's recommended staffing levels. Many controllers were forced to work six-day weeks, with as little as eight hours between shifts. The problem has persisted since the 1980s — when the Reagan administration fired thousands of striking controllers — and waves of retirements have left vacancies unfilled.

Warnings Ignored

Concerns about the increasing risk of accidents were echoed by pilots and air traffic controllers alike. After a near miss on a runway in January 2023, a pilot wrote to NASA expressing alarm about the growing dangers. An air traffic controller, reflecting on another close call that same month, questioned whether it would take fatalities to prompt meaningful change.

As reported by PEOPLE, Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, known for the "Miracle on the Hudson" landing, commented in an interview with the Times that he is "just devastated." He noted, "We've had to learn important lessons literally with blood too often, and we had finally gotten beyond that, to where we could learn from incidents, and not accidents." He went on to add, "... even though we have a lot of safety layers in there ... If all the dominos line up in the wrong way, we can have on rare occasions, catastrophic event."

Systemic Failures and Political Inaction

In addition to staffing shortages, experts point to outdated airport warning systems as another contributing factor to the rise in near misses. Unlike other major airports worldwide, many U.S. airports still rely on human oversight rather than advanced automated alert systems to prevent collisions.

Despite repeated warnings, meaningful action had yet to be taken. In June 2023, the Department of Transportation's Inspector General released a report stating that the FAA had made "limited efforts" to ensure proper controller staffing at critical locations, as reported by PEOPLE.

Even after high-profile incidents, such as a January 2023 near collision where a Delta^® plane had to abort takeoff to avoid an American Airlines jet crossing its path, improvements remained slow. In February 2023, a FedEx^® cargo plane had to suddenly change course to avoid a Southwest Airlines jet that had been cleared for takeoff at the same time.

Aftermath of the Crash

Following the Jan. 29 disaster, President Donald Trump assured the public that a full investigation was underway. He stated that officials had some preliminary ideas about what caused the crash and pledged that his administration would take steps to prevent a similar tragedy.

Meanwhile, American Airlines announced that flight number 5342, the designation of the ill-fated aircraft, would be permanently retired from its routes out of respect for the victims.

Search and recovery efforts in the Potomac River continued into the following days. By Jan. 31, authorities had recovered all 67 bodies.

A Call for Change

For many in the aviation industry, this tragedy represents a wake-up call. While the United States has long boasted one of the safest air travel records in the world, the cracks in its aviation safety infrastructure are becoming increasingly apparent. Experts are now calling for urgent action — including hiring more air traffic controllers, modernizing airport warning systems, and improving pilot training on collision avoidance.

References: People - Pilots Warned of Dangerous Increase in Near Misses at U.S. Airports | People - American Airlines Flight Crashes into Black Hawk Helicopter | Remains of all D.C. plane crash victims recovered as crews pull parts of cockpit, tail from Potomac River