NTSB Calls 11 FAA Responses Unacceptable After Crash

All 67 people died in the January 2025 collision of an American Airlines regional jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, the deadliest U.S. aviation disaster in more than two decades. The NTSB issued 50 recommendations, 33 to the FAA, and rated 11 FAA responses unacceptable. It said ADS-B In could have warned the jet crew 59 seconds and the helicopter crew 48 seconds before impact. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy asked how many more decades must pass before recommending this again and again after a horrific tragedy. The NTSB says those responses failed to address safety threats and the FAA has not committed to requiring ADS-B In. In a Sept. 14 letter, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford updated Homendy on progress. The FAA says it is reviewing helicopter routes in six cities, has completed four, and issued a traffic separation directive. Bedford told Reuters in July the FAA could mandate ADS-B In without Congress but prefers congressional direction. Homendy and victims' relatives plan to urge Congress on Tuesday. Bedford appears that day before a House Appropriations subcommittee. The House passed aviation safety reform 396-10 in April. The ROTOR Act passed the Senate unanimously in December but fell one House vote short of two-thirds.