An American Airlines regional jet and an Army Blackhawk helicopter collided in January in the crowded airspace of Washington National Airport, killing all passengers and crew aboard both aircraft. The NTSB recently held three days of hearings to gather testimony for its final report detailing the circumstances and cause of the crash.
The FAA is under fire for not heeding warnings from its air traffic controllers about the dangers of the Army's helicopter route, as well as significant understaffing at the busy airport. After FAA testimony, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy took a moment to ask two FAA staff members some pointed questions about whether they had been instructed to be fully transparent. The bemused employees insisted they had, and were doing so.
Homedy then paused before a break to point out that she, members of the audience, both in person and remote, and other NTSB staff noticed an FAA supervisor elbowing an employee during his testimony, after which the employee stopped speaking mid-sentence. Homendy ordered the supervisor to change their seat after the break, saying, "I'm not going to put up with that."
The hearing continued without any other supervisors needing to be scolded like middle schoolers. The NTSB issued a preliminary report on the crash in March, and the final report is expected to be released within 12 to 24 months.
Previously:
• Sean Duffy admits firing up to 400 FAA workers before latest Delta Air Lines crash
• Understaffed airport — rather than absurd DEI excuse — to blame for crash, says early findings
• Trump's FAA: Fixing aviation one sexist term at a time
