(The Center Square) – Lawmakers from the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia are raising questions about the Federal Aviation Administration’s plans to protect the flying public following last month’s collision between an American Airlines jet and an Army helicopter over the Potomac River.
Democratic U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner of Virginia, and Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland; and Democratic U.S. Reps. Don Beyer and Gerald Connolly of Virginia, Suhas Subramanya and Eleanor Holmes Norton of the District of Columbia, and Jamie Raskin of Maryland penned a letter Chris Rocheleau. They asked the FAA interim administrator more than a dozen questions regarding aviation safety and proposed plans to upgrade the aviation system as suggested by Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Elon Musk, the leader of the Department of Government Efficiency.
While the lawmakers credited the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation following the collision, the group underscored a need to review existing protocols to “ensure that flight operations do not simply return to business as usual.”
On the top of the lawmakers’ concerns are the current helicopter flight restrictions at Reagan Nation Airport implemented shortly after the collision. They want to know what factors the FAA will consider when reassessing the need to extend or modify the restrictions.
The lawmakers want assurances that the FAA will work with the Department of Defense regarding training protocols for “required missions” in the region, specifically Reagan National during high-traffic periods and how the agency might enact modifications to reduce risks. For reference, the airport hosts over 800 daily incoming and outgoing flights along a narrow and tightly controlled airspace.
However, preliminary reports from the NTSB appear to focus on the helicopter’s operations at the time of the collision, noting that it was flying above the permitted flight ceiling, had turned off a key advanced tracking device and may have been using night vision.
Moving forward, the lawmakers raised several questions focusing on whether the agency will consult aviation experts when implementing operational changes. They highlighted social media posts from Duffy and Musk regarding plans to upgrade the nation’s aviation system. The group asked a series of questions surrounding DOGE’s future role in revamping aviation safety upgrades, specifically their qualifications.
“We are extremely concerned that an ad hoc team of individuals lacking any expertise, exposure, certifications, or knowledge of aviation operations being invited, or inserting themselves, to make ‘rapid’ changes to our nation’s air traffic systems. This is the wrong course of action to take,” the lawmakers wrote.
“We want the safest skies in the world, and any efforts to weaken standards will not be tolerated. Aviation safety is not an area to ‘move fast and break things.’ Proven, methodical, and deliberate action is what is called for when any changes are considered to safety,” the lawmakers wrote.
The group also addressed an ongoing debate over expanding the perimeter rule, which would add more flights to the busy, high-density air traffic at Reagan National. Kaine and Warner have been staunch critics of the expansion, citing safety issues.
The lawmakers highlighted concerns regarding the 2024 FAA Reauthorization Act, noting that the first routes authorized under the legislation will become operational this week.
Regarding the legislation, the group requests a briefing on the agency’s implementation “of critical aviation safety and air traffic controller tower staffing provision.”
The letter proceeded a decision by officials connected to Reagan National to resume flight operations utilizing the airport’s three runways, including runway 33, often used by smaller commuter jets, intended to be used by the fated American Airlines flight.
The Jan. 29 mid-air collision claimed the lives of 67 people. The victims from both the jet and helicopter have been recovered, in addition to the wreckages of both aircraft.