Senators demand FAA and DOD better coordinate helicopter operations near Reagan National after fatal crash
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Summary
Committee members said coordination failures between the FAA and Department of Defense remain a safety concern after the January fatal crash near Reagan National Airport; FAA witnesses said DOD suspended some operations and the FAA is seeking repairs to communication links and clarity on procedures.
Senators told FAA officials they remain alarmed by continuing coordination problems between the agency and the Department of Defense (DOD) around flight operations near Reagan National Airport (DCA) after a deadly January crash.
Ranking Member Duckworth recounted multiple recent close calls and told FAA witnesses the agency must act proactively: "FAA and DOD must coordinate better. We don't need to wait for the completion of a lengthy investigation to know that." She pressed the FAA for immediate answers about hotline and communications failures and how the agency is ensuring that military helicopter operations do not enter Class B airspace without prior authorization.
Franklin McIntosh said the FAA "was ready to deploy any option available" to improve safety, including suspending agreements that allow certain DOD flights to operate without prior individual clearances. He confirmed that DOD suspended its Army Aviation Brigade operations after incidents, and acknowledged the FAA was not previously aware that a direct hotline between Pentagon air traffic control and DCA tower had been inoperable since March 2022. "Now that we became aware of that event, we're insisting upon that line to be fixed before we resume any operations out of the Pentagon," McIntosh said.
On whether published helicopter routes that circle the Pentagon exist, McIntosh said FAA and military operations have a letter of agreement and that pilots and controllers share responsibilities; he emphasized that aircraft are not supposed to enter Class B airspace without authorization. The FAA committed to provide the committee with the memorandum(s) of understanding governing military flight operations near DCA and to produce training and related materials on the letter of agreement.
Why it matters: Senators said the committee needs timely access to memoranda and training records because coordination lapses have led to near misses and a fatal accident. Members requested follow‑up documents and said they will convene additional roundtables with DOD and NTSB participants to examine airspace coordination and mitigation steps.