NTSB: US Army, FAA systemic failures led to deadly midair collsion

WASHINGTON (7News) — Systemic failures in airspace design, safety oversight and risk management by the U.S. Army and the Federal Aviation Administration contributed to the midair crash that killed 67 people in 2025, according to a report released Tuesday by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

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“This complex and comprehensive one-year investigation identified serious and long-standing safety gaps in the airspace over our nation’s capital,” said chairwoman of the NTSB Jennifer Homendy. “Sadly, the conditions for this tragedy were in place long before the night of Jan. 29.”

The helicopter route designed by the FAA failed to give enough separation between planes approaching and departing Reagan National Airport, according to the NTSB. There were multiple close calls near the airport, but the FAA did not “take timely corrective action,” according to the report.

Local air traffic controllers and other helicopter operators raised concerns before the crash, but the FAA did not look into those safety concerns, according to the NTSB.

The U.S. Army did not address hazards in a complicated airspace with civilians, the report said.

The Army lacked a flight monitoring program and limited participation in safety reporting systems, NTSB officials said. If the Army used a collision avoidance system, the crew of the plane could have been alerted to the helicopter 59 seconds before crashing, according to the report.

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The NTSB gave 33 safety recommendations to the FAA, eight to the Army and more to the Department of Transportation and other relevant agencies. The recommendations detail comprehensive reforms to helicopter route design, air traffic control procedures, safety management systems, data sharing and collision avoidance technology.

“Our work doesn’t end with the issuance of a final report; that’s just the first step,” Homendy said. “We will vigorously advocate for the implementation of our safety recommendations — that’s how we prevent a tragedy like this from happening again.”

The final NTSB report will be issued in the coming weeks, according to officials.