Summary
The fatal collision between an American Airlines jet and an Army helicopter near Reagan National Airport has renewed concerns over aviation safety and air traffic controller shortages.
The crash, which left no expected survivors, follows a rise in near misses, with 1,757 runway incursions recorded in 2024.
Experts blame staffing shortages, outdated systems, and increased flight volume for heightened risks.
The FAA is short 3,000 controllers, and training new hires takes years.
Officials, including Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, believe the tragedy was preventable.
There’s been at least a few stories even on the mainstream news talking about about how the airport is far outside it’s designed capacity of traffic. So maybe they are short on controllers, but also it sounds like each controller is doing more than they should have to because the airport is busier than it was designed to be.
Someone also posted here that Delta somewhat recently increased that yet again after lobbying for additional flights Just looking for a source I see one that talks about these efforts and a small amount of additional flights added last year. Looks like only 5, but from the original story I saw on the news they’re already WAY (thousands) of flights over the design capacity. source for recent flight increase: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/01/30/safety-delta-lobbyists-reagan-dca-flights-congress-crash/78059396007/