The recent American Airlines crash at Washington DC’s Ronald Reagan National Airport is just one incident in a series of near-misses and crashes that have occurred over the years. Among these, a tragic crash in 1982 resulted in the death of 78 people.
President Donald Trump has confirmed that all 67 individuals onboard lost their lives in the collision between a jet and an Army helicopter, which then plummeted into the Potomac River on a fateful Wednesday night.
Washington DC’s Reagan National Airport frequently experiences a high volume of air traffic, including both commercial flights and military operations that sometimes come perilously close to each other on a regular basis.
A mere 24 hours before the collision on Wednesday, another jet tried to land but had to make a second approach after a helicopter appeared near its flight path, according to an air traffic control audio recording.
Other recent incidents at the airport include a near-collision in May 2024 that involved an American Airlines plane that was cleared for takeoff – just as an incoming King Air plane had been cleared for landing on a nearby runway.
And a month prior, another chilling close call occurred between JetBlue and Southwest planes that were close-to-collision on a runway.
The Reagan airport, in 2024 alone, experienced at least eight near-midair collisions, according to Federal Aviation Administration data seen by the The New York Times.
The FAA has frequently warned that such a shortage of air-traffic controllers along the eastern seaboard has forced it to limit the amount of flights it can allow through the area.
In a press conference, Senator Mark Warner said on Thursday: “We have raised this issue continuously; we’ve got very busy airspace.”
In January 1982, the airport became a scene of despair after an Air Florida Flight 90, a Boeing 737, took off before plummeting to the ground – hitting the 14th Street bridge before smashing through the icy Potomac River.
The tragedy left 78 people dead, with out of the 79 on board the flight, only five survived, and on the ground four people were killed in vehicles on the struck bridge.
The National Transportation Safety Board said following the crash that numerous errors had been made by airline staff, contributing to its downfall.
The Government Accountability Office said in a 2021 report that there were a whopping 88,000 helicopter flights within 30 miles of Reagan – including about 33,000 military flights, over a three-year-period until in 2019, Reuters reports.
And lawmakers have recently lobbies for expansion of the perimeters of the airport to allow additional flights to arrive and depart.
In 2023, it was proposed to add 28 round-trip flights a day out of the airport.
The already concerned FAA warned at the time that adding these extra flights would put pressure on the system, according to The New York Times.
Following the terrifying near-miss in May 2024, Senator Tim Kaine said while speaking in Congress: “Thank God a collision and catastrophe was averted.
“But more and more planes on this busiest runway in the United States is just going to increase the chance of a significant incident.”
The Coalition to Protect America’s Regional Airports also said: “[Reagan] is currently at capacity and at risk of being seriously overburdened should there be changes to the slot and perimeter rules.
“Moreover, any changes to the slot and perimeter rules threaten to undermine the access of regional airports and their communities to the DC area, as well as increase delays, traffic, congestion and noise, and safety concerns.”
Wednesday’s crash was preventable, according to Transport Secretary Sean Duffy.
He said: “I would say that the helicopter was aware that the plane was in the area.
“We are going to wait for all the information to come in from this vantage point, but what I’ve seen so far, do I think this was preventable? Absolutely.”
President Trump earlier questioned how the smash happened on a “clear night” and also said the crash “should have been prevented”.
President Trump addresses a mourning nation
By Georgie English, Foreign News Reporter
PRESIDENT Donald Trump started his White House address to the nation with a moments silence to honor those who died in the American Airlines crash.
Trump labelled the aviation accident a “real tragedy” as he said America is now going through an “hour or anguish”.
Following on from comments from officials at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport earlier today, Trump said he believes there are no survivors.
“This was a dark and excruciating night in our nation’s capital and in our nation’s history, and a tragedy of terrible proportions,” the new president added.
“As one nation we grieve for every precious soul that has been taken from us so suddenly.”
Trump then started to hit out at the two former leaders of the US and his Democratic rivals Joe Biden and Barack Obama.
He said: “I put safety first. Obama, Biden and the Democrats put policy first.”
Trump vowed to restore “the highest standard of air traffic” and said the US will only hire the “smartest and the brightest” going forwards.
He went on to blast the Federal Aviation Administration’s rules on who can work in air traffic control and government diversity efforts.
A reporter then asked if he was blaming part of the crash on diversity hires with Trump replying by saying he is just using “common sense”.
Speaking on the crash directly, Trump claimed the plane’s pilot did “everything right” and followed a route taken by pilots for decades.
He appeared to place some of the blame on the military helicopter saying it was going at an angle that was “unbelievably bad”.
But confirmed investigations are ongoing.
He wrote on Truth Social: “The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport.
“The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time.
“It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn.
“Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane.
“This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!”
Hundreds of emergency workers continue to work tirelessly to recover bodies and the wreckage from the water as investigations begin into the cause of the tragedy.
In a solemn press briefing from The White House on Thursday, Trump held a moment of silence for the victims and their families .
He then gravely reported that all 64 on board the plane arriving from Kansas and the three in the Black Hawk were killed.
The newly-inaugurated leader said the disaster – now America’s deadliest in 24 years – is an “hour of anguish for our nation” and “a tragedy of terrible proportions”.
He said: “This was a dark and excruciating night in our nation’s capital and in our nation’s history, and a tragedy of terrible proportions.
“As one nation we grieve for every precious soul that has been taken from us so suddenly.
“This has really shaken a lot of people, including people very sadly, from other nations.”
