A Close Call: Over 15K Near-Misses at D.C. Airport Before Deadly Collision
Buckle up, folks! The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has dropped a bombshell report revealing that Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport has been a veritable near-miss hot zone, with over 15,200 close calls between October 2021 and December 2024. That’s right—15,214 instances where planes were alerted to the hair-raising presence of helicopters in their airspace! It’s enough to make even the most seasoned air traffic controller raise an eyebrow.
The report comes on the heels of a tragic midair collision on January 29 that resulted in the loss of 67 lives, making it the third deadliest commercial aviation disaster in the U.S. since 2001. Among the deceased were children, teens, and professionals—an entire spectrum of lives tragically cut short. This catastrophe has experts raising alarms about pilot error, particularly regarding the helicopter crew, who were warned of the impending collision but seemingly miscalculated their altitude—an error that can only be described as catastrophic.
The NTSB noted that over half of these near-misses involved helicopters potentially exceeding altitude restrictions, with two-thirds of incidents occurring at night. And if you think that’s alarming, consider this: 85 of those incidents had aircraft separated by less than 1,500 feet with a vertical separation of under 200 feet. Yikes! With the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) already restricting helicopter operations around the airport, the NTSB has issued two urgent recommendations to further enhance safety, including the re-routing of helicopters when certain runways are in use.
In the wake of this disaster, which also coincided with the heart-wrenching news of a medical jet crash in Philadelphia just days later, the aviation community is left grappling with the realities of air travel safety. It seems that while we’re all busy jet-setting around, the skies above our heads can be a dangerously chaotic place. So, what’s next? Will the FAA heed these urgent recommendations, or will we continue to see the skies peppered with near-misses? Only time will tell, but one thing’s for sure: our flights may need a serious safety upgrade before we can truly relax at 30,000 feet.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and People Magazine, NTSB Reports, Reuters
Image Credit: Attribution from EXIF: Artist: Andrew Harnik
