NTSB Blames Reagan National Midair Collision on Systemic Failures

The National Transportation Safety Board has issued its final findings on the Jan. 29, 2025 midair collision between a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines jet near Washington’s Reagan National Airport, concluding the crash stemmed from 'systemic failures' across air traffic control, Army aviation and the FAA and was '100% preventable.' In a public session nearly a year after 67 people died in the Potomac River, the board faulted ATC workload and procedures, longstanding route‑design problems, and gaps in Army flight operations and oversight rather than a single front‑line error. The determination puts direct pressure on the FAA and Pentagon to tighten separation standards, revisit helicopter routing around DCA and retrain controllers and military pilots operating in one of the nation’s most complex and politically sensitive airspaces. Safety advocates and families, who have used social media to demand structural changes rather than scapegoats, are likely to seize on the 'systemic' label as they push Congress for stricter oversight and funding to fix chronic ATC staffing and modernization shortfalls. The report will also feed into national debates about how resilient U.S. aviation safety really is, after several other near‑misses in crowded corridors have raised alarms about cracks in the system.