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A top Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee, Senator Maria Cantwell on Thursday said the United States needs to reconsider the significant military helicopter flights near one of the most congested U.S. airports after a midair collision in Washington killed 67 people.
“The big question I have is why do you have a military training flight so close to the route that people are supposed to land… Why is that corridor right on top of the (civilian) flight corridor,” Senator Maria Cantwell asked.
According to a 2021 report, there are about 11,000 military helicopter flights annually within 30 miles of Reagan National.
DAILY POST recalls that in the deadliest U.S. air disaster in more than 20 years, a U.S. Army helicopter and an American Airlines passenger jet collided on Wednesday night near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, with both aircraft plunging into the Potomac River.
The cause of the crash is under investigation. The airport is located in Arlington, Virginia, across the river from Washington.
Cantwell also asked why the Federal Aviation Administration since 2018 has allowed military flights to fly with their installed Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast equipment off.
DAILY POST reports that Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast is an advanced surveillance technology to track aircraft location.
Cantwell further demanded more information on the agreements between the Federal Aviation Administration and the Pentagon that allowed the flights.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the helicopter involved in the crash had a crew of three soldiers on a continuity of government training flight.
“It was a fairly experienced crew and it was doing a required annual night evaluation,” Hegseth said.
According to him, there appeared to have been an elevation issue with the Black Hawk, and Army investigators were looking into the matter.
The military said the maximum altitude for Route 4 is 200 feet but it may have been flying higher.
According to flight tracking website FlightRadar24, the collision occurred at an altitude of around 300 feet.
Army secretary nominee Dan Driscoll said the military should rethink training in congested areas.
Meanwhile, United States President Donald Trump described the midair collision as a “bad situation that should have been prevented.”