WASHINGTON (AP) — The airspace around Washington, D.C., has long been a source of concern for aviation experts due to its complexity and congestion, a combination that many feared could one day result in disaster.
Those fears tragically became a reality on Wednesday night when an American Airlines plane collided with a military helicopter, killing 67 people, including three soldiers and more than a dozen figure skaters.
Even under ideal flying conditions, experts have warned that navigating the airspace around Reagan Washington National Airport is no easy task. Pilots must maneuver around hundreds of commercial planes, military aircraft, and restricted zones around key landmarks.
“This was a disaster waiting to happen,” said Ross Aimer, a retired United Airlines captain and CEO of Aero Consulting Experts. “For years, those of us in the industry have been sounding the alarm, but it felt like no one was listening. Our systems are stretched to their limits.”
While the cause of the collision remains under investigation, officials noted that flight conditions were clear when the jet arrived from Wichita, Kansas. Investigators are looking into various factors, including why the Army Black Hawk helicopter was flying 100 feet above its permitted altitude and whether air traffic controllers were adequately staffed at the time. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) report obtained by The Associated Press indicated that staffing levels were “not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic.”
As authorities work to determine the cause of the deadliest U.S. airline crash since 2001, the incident has raised fresh concerns about the dangers posed by the busy airspace around Reagan National, which has already witnessed several close calls in recent years. Experts and lawmakers alike are concerned that the situation will only worsen following a recent decision by Congress to lift restrictions that had limited the airport to nonstop flights within 1,250 miles of Washington, with few exceptions.
The new law allows airlines to introduce long-haul flights to destinations like Seattle and San Francisco, igniting a debate over whether the convenience of additional routes outweighs the risks of increased congestion. While the ill-fated flight that crashed on Wednesday was not part of this expansion, it was added to the schedule in January of last year as part of a push by Kansas lawmakers for more service between Reagan National and Wichita.
Commercial airliners flying in and out of Reagan National have long had to contend with military helicopters using the same airspace, sometimes in dangerously close proximity.
“Even when everyone is following protocol, there’s only a few hundred feet between commercial aircraft coming in to land and military helicopters operating in the area,” said Jim Brauchle, a former U.S. Air Force navigator and aviation attorney. “That leaves very little room for error.”
Pilots have long voiced concerns about a potential “nightmare scenario” where commercial planes and military helicopters cross paths, especially at night when city lights make it harder to spot other aircraft. Just over 24 hours before the fatal crash, a regional jet had to abort its landing at Reagan National after air traffic controllers warned the pilots about a nearby military helicopter. The plane landed safely minutes later.
Retired U.S. Army National Guard pilot Darrell Feller recalled a similar experience from a decade ago, when he was piloting a military helicopter south along the Potomac River near Reagan National. He was advised by air traffic control to watch out for a jetliner landing on Runway 3-3, a flight path that crosses over the same route used by military helicopters.
“I couldn’t see the plane against the lights of the city,” Feller said. “I had to dive 50 feet to avoid a collision.”
The scenario that unfolded Wednesday night seemed eerily similar, with the Army Black Hawk helicopter and the American Airlines Flight 5342 colliding just moments after a final exchange between the helicopter’s pilot and air traffic control. The American Airlines jet had been rerouted to land on Runway 3-3, an approach that took it over the Potomac River, where it collided with the helicopter just seconds later.
Feller, who once served as an instructor pilot for the D.C. National Guard, emphasized the importance of staying below the 200-foot ceiling for helicopters and being especially vigilant when approaching the 3-3 runway, where the landing lights can be difficult to distinguish from other city lights.
The deadly crash was a tragic reminder of a similar incident that occurred in 1949, when a passenger plane collided with a military aircraft near what is now Reagan National, killing 55 people in what was then the deadliest air disaster in U.S. history.
Jack Schonely, a retired Los Angeles Police Department helicopter pilot, said that even as a passenger on helicopter tours over Washington, he was struck by how complicated the airspace seemed.
“You’ve got two large airports, multiple restricted zones, altitude restrictions, and a lot of traffic in a very confined area,” Schonely said. “There’s just a lot happening in a small space.”
Robert Clifford, an aviation attorney, called on the U.S. government to temporarily halt military helicopter flights in the same airspace used by commercial flights near Reagan National.
“It’s clear that this was a preventable crash, and it should never have happened,” Clifford said. “For years, we’ve talked about the risks of congestion, and now we’ve seen the tragic consequences.”
