A military helicopter collided with an American Airlines plane near Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., killing 67 people. The tragedy has raised concerns about the safety of the already congested airspace around the airport, which has seen a series of near-misses in recent years. Experts say the combination of commercial aircraft, military helicopters, and sensitive sites in the area creates a high-risk environment.
Pilots and aviation experts say tight airspace around Reagan National Airport can challenge the most experienced pilots, who must avoid hundreds of other commercial planes, military aircraft , restricted areas around sensitive sites.American Eagle plane flies at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, in the aftermath of the collision of American Eagle flight 5342 and a Black Hawk helicopter that crashed into the Potomac River, in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., January 30, 2025.
Even in peak flying conditions, experts said, the airspace around Reagan Washington National Airport can challenge the most experienced pilots, who must navigate hundreds of other commercial planes, military aircraft and restricted areas around sensitive sites. As authorities piece together the nation's deadliest US airline crash since 2001, the tragedy has raised new concerns about the specific dangers at Reagan National, which has seen a series of near-misses in recent years.
A regional plane carrying over 60 passengers collided in midair with a military helicopter near Ronald Reagan National Airport outside Washington, DC on Wednesday night, footage filmed at the Kennedy Center shows Retired US Army National Guard pilot Darrell Feller said the deadly collision reminded him of an incident he experienced a decade ago when he was flying a military helicopter south along the Potomac River near Reagan National.
Feller's experience was eerily similar to what experts said may have happed with the crew of the Army helicopter on Wednesday shortly before 9 pm as they flew south along the Potomac River and collided with an American Airlines Flight 5342 landing at Runway 3-3. Those planes'"landing lights are not pointed directly at you," Feller said, adding that those lights also get"mixed up with ground lights, with cars."
Robert Clifford, an aviation attorney, said the US government should temporarily halt military helicopter flights in the airspace used by commercial airlines near Reagan National. Air traffic control promptly warned the helicopter pilot to stay clear, and Redfern said he used evasive maneuvers to avoid it and avert a potential disaster — and that was in daytime, when visibility was clearer.
"That turn from the eastern side along the river to turn into runway 33 is very, very tight," said Redfern, referring to the same airstrip the American Airlines jet was heading towards before colliding with the US military helicopter.
Airspace Congestion Reagan National Airport Collision Helicopter Military Aircraft
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