US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth
March 27, 2025
In her opening remarks, the Senator warned, “This collision was horrendous, and it is heartbreaking. But it was NOT a surprise”
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – In her opening remarks at today’s committee hearing on the horrific DCA aircraft collision, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)— a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation (CST) and Ranking Member of the CST Aviation Subcommittee—reiterated the long-pressing, ever-growing need to expand our air traffic controller workforce and invest in more safety technology in order to safeguard passengers, crew and our entire aviation system. For years, Duckworth has been sounding the alarm that we must make these critical aviation safety investments immediately to prevent all-too-often near-misses from becoming catastrophic tragedies. Despite the Senator’s calls, the Trump Administration began making cuts and firing hundreds of FAA employees in the wake of multiple deadline airplane crashes, including the DCA crash that killed 67 passengers and crew on January 29, 2025. Video of Duckworth’s opening remarks can be found on the Senator’s YouTube.
Key quotes:
“We have an obligation to the victims to learn what went wrong and prevent a collision like this from ever happening again. As a former Blackhawk pilot, who has flown helicopters out of a very busy Chicago Midway Airport – I know how challenging this type of mixed-use airspace can be. But a challenging airspace is no excuse. This should never happen. This collision was horrendous, and it is heartbreaking. But it was NOT a surprise. Alarm bells about potential collisions have been ringing for years.”
“At such a dangerous time for aviation safety, when we need to bolster our workforce, and invest in technology – the last thing we should be doing is making cuts. Yet, two weeks after the DCA crash, the Trump administration began firing hundreds of FAA employees. I say all of this because it is important context to keep in mind during today’s hearing. We need to understand what happened at DCA – but we also need to understand how this fits into a much larger threat to aviation safety.”
“NTSB’s preliminary report raises several questions. Most notably: How did FAA allow a helicopter route to come within 75 feet of a runway approach? […] We also need to know more about what the helicopter pilots knew about their altitude. Was their equipment working properly? […] There are also questions about ADS-B. Why was the helicopter not transmitting ADS-B Out? Do commercial aircraft need to be equipped with ADS-B In?”
Duckworth’s opening remarks as prepared below:
I want to extend my condolences to the family members of the victims some of whom are here with us today—both on the commercial airliner, as well as the family members who lost the brave soldiers in the Blackhawk helicopter.
I also want to thank the first responders, and everyone at NTSB for their tireless work to get us the answers we need.
There’s a saying and many of you have heard it: Our aviation regulations are written in blood.
We have an obligation to the victims to learn what went wrong, and prevent a collision like this from ever happening again.
As a former Blackhawk pilot myself, who has flown helicopters out of a very busy Chicago Midway Airport – I know how challenging this type of mixed-use airspace can be.
But a challenging airspace is no excuse. This should never happen.
This collision was horrendous, and it is heartbreaking.
But it was NOT a surprise.
Alarm bells about potential collisions have been ringing for years.
Coming out of the pandemic, we saw a frightening rise in close calls and an erosion of our aviation system’s margin of safety.
We’ve known for years we need more air traffic controllers and more safety technology.
The warnings have been clear — and in some cases right here at this committee, in a bipartisan consensus.
In November 2023, we held a hearing on close calls. NTSB Chair Homendy testified. Citing staffing shortages, fatigue, distraction, deviations from FAA regulations and a lack of runway safety technology, she warned — quote — “The concerning uptick in such incidents is a clear warning sign that the U.S. aviation system is sharply strained . . . We cannot wait until a fatal accident forces action. We must act before there is a tragedy.”
At the same hearing, the National Air Traffic Controller Association’s president told us that staffing shortages were so bad, many air traffic controllers were working mandatory overtime, 6-day workweeks and 10-hour days. He warned — quote — “Over the long-term, this will continue to introduce unnecessary risk into the system.”
We passed—in a bipartisan way—an FAA Reauthorization bill last year to help rebuild our aviation workforce and make critical investments in safety.
FAA is still implementing that new law, but clearly Congress has more work to do to shore up aviation safety.
In December 2024, we held another hearing. GAO told us that more than 75% of our aging air traffic control systems are unsustainable or potentially unsustainable.
The deadly collision at DCA is not the only aviation safety incident, so far, this year. We’ve seen deadly crashes in Philadelphia and Alaska, and a crash landing in Toronto that miraculously everyone survived even after the aircraft flipped upside down. Earlier this month, we saw passengers standing on the wing of a 737 in Denver to escape a fire.
And near misses keep happening. In February a Southwest flight came within 200 ft of colliding with a Flexjet plane at Midway Airport.
At such a dangerous time for aviation safety, when we need to bolster our workforce, and invest in technology – the last thing we should be doing is making cuts to the FAA. Yet, two weeks after the DCA crash, the Trump administration began firing hundreds of FAA employees.
I say all of this because it is important context to keep in mind during today’s hearing. We need to understand what happened at DCA – but we also need to understand how this fits into a much larger threat to aviation safety.
According to NTSB, DCA had many close calls in recent years. Between October 2021 and December 2024 there were more than 15,000 instances of commercial aircraft coming close to helicopters.
85 of these had a vertical separation of less than 200 ft.
Last year there were also two high-profile runway close calls at DCA.NTSB’s preliminary report raises several questions.
Most notably: How did FAA allow a helicopter route to come within 75 feet of a runway approach?
FAA has deconflicted the airspace, but DCA is not the only airport in the country where airplanes and helicopters share congested airspace.
Several of us raised this at an earlier briefing and, thankfully, FAA is now evaluating 8 cities where this may also be an issue, including Chicago.
We also need to know more about what the helicopter pilots knew about their altitude. Was their equipment working properly? Voice recordings showed the pilot and the Instructor pilot indicated different altitudes as they approached the Key Bridge, and NTSB determined that some of the altitude information on the helicopter’s data recorder was invalid.
There are also questions about ADS-B. Why was the helicopter not transmitting ADS-B Out? Do commercial aircraft need to be equipped with ADS-B In? How come so many helicopters are allowed exemptions at DCA?
I look forward to hearing from our witnesses.
I yield back.
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