The tragic plane crash near Washington D.C.'s Reagan National Airport has brought renewed attention to ongoing safety concerns at one of the nation's busiest air hubs. The incident, which resulted in the deaths of all 67 people aboard two aircraft, is part of a troubling pattern of near-misses and close calls in the airport's airspace.
An NPR analysis of Federal Aviation Administration data shows 30 records of "near midair collisions" at Reagan National since 1987.
Notably, the report found that at least 10 of these near misses involved military aircraft, and at least seven of them included military helicopters. These figures highlight the complex air traffic environment around Reagan National, which serves as a major hub for both civilian and military flights.
While near misses are not uncommon in aviation, the revelation of such a high number at one of the nation's busiest airports has raised alarms among aviation safety experts.
"I know the FAA is already looking at this in a parallel investigation – to see if there's anything they can do in the near term or immediately to mitigate the risk of an event like this," Mike McCormick, a former FAA director of safety and operations for the nation's air traffic control towers, told NPR.
McCormick noted that the presence of military flights in the busy airspace around Reagan National adds an extra layer of complexity. These flights, often with different flight patterns and protocols than civilian aircraft, could contribute to the heightened risk of close encounters.
"There are helicopter routes that traverse the airspace around Metropolitan Washington, D.C., designed for mainly use by military helicopters that are flying in and out of the various bases," he said. "That would increase the likelihood that there would be in fact near-midair collisions that would be reported."
As many as 28 bodies have been pulled from the water after a military helicopter apparently flew into the American Airlines jet late Wednesday while it was landing at Reagan National.
The collision was the first fatal commercial crash in the U.S. since 2009.
Officials are still investigating the cause of the incident. The National Transportation Safety Board says a preliminary report will be issued in 30 days, but questions are already mounting about staffing and close calls at the airport where the plane was landing.
Normally two people manage air traffic control for helicopters and airplanes flying in the area but only one person was doing so at the time of Wednesday's crash. The FAA confirmed that one controller was working in two different positions, handling local and helicopter traffic. Reports also indicate that the black hawk helicopter may have been flying off its pre-approved flight path, raising further concerns about the circumstances leading up to the crash.