Senators call for audits after deadly midair helicopter crash near DCA

WASHINGTON, D.C. (7News) — Senate committee leaders are calling for independent investigations into safety failures that may have contributed to the January midair collision near Reagan National Airport (DCA) that killed 67 people.

In a letter sent to the Acting Inspector General of the Department of Transportation (DOT OIG) and the Inspector General of the Department of the Army (Army OIG), U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Rand Paul (R-Ky.), and Ranking Member Gary Peters (D-Mich.) asked for audits to examine a range of airspace safety issues.

Their request follows a Jan. 29 midair collision between a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines flight.

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The senators want the DOT OIG to review the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) handling of airspace design, enforcement of safety rules, and oversight of aircraft using ADS-B Out tracking exemptions.

They're also asking the Army’s inspector general to review Army pilot training and qualification standards, helicopter maintenance protocols, and communication with FAA controllers.

The National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) preliminary report found widespread failures and released two urgent safety recommendations "aimed at deconflicting fixed-wing and rotorcraft traffic in the National Capital Region," the senators wrote in their letter.

Data from the NTSB showed more than 15,000 close calls between helicopters and commercial aircraft near DCA in the past three years.

This comes after a second Black Hawk helicopter aborted a Pentagon landing on May 1, prompting air traffic controllers to order go-arounds for two incoming flights. The senators said that the helicopter was operated by the same Army Aviation Brigade involved in the January crash.

RELATED | Pentagon lost contact with Army helicopter on flight that caused May 1 DCA 'go arounds'

“Despite these findings and the tragedy in January, on May 1, less than a week after resuming operations in the NCR, an Army Black Hawk helicopter flying a training mission to the Pentagon, also operated by The Army Aviation Brigade, aborted a landing at the Pentagon Heliport and caused DCA air traffic control to issue go-around orders to two commercial aircraft on final approach. The Army Aviation Brigade later suspended operations pending an internal review," the senators wrote.

Lawmakers said the audits are needed to determine whether better procedures or training could help prevent future tragedies.

“Both audits should specifically address whether improved FAA and Army procedures, communication systems, or adherence to existing protocols would increase aviation safety in the NCR," they wrote.

You can read their full letter here.

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