(NewsNation) — The Senate Commerce Committee is holding a hearing Thursday about the collision between an Army helicopter and a passenger jet that killed 67 people.
Witnesses include National Transportation Safety Board chair Jennifer Homendy, acting FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau and director of Army aviation Brig. Gen. Matthew Braman.
Opening Statements
The hearing began with senators from both parties expressing sympathy for the victims and vowing a bipartisan response to understand how the deadly crash occurred.
“Aviation regulations are written in blood,” said Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., as the hearing opened.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, referred to the “swiss cheese” model of regulations, where layers of regulations build redundancies to avoid accidents like the one that happened in January.
Some investigations, understandably, get more public attention than others, but all of our investigations are critical for improving transportation safety,” Homendy said in her opening statement. “We know that we owe it to the families of those involved, to the communities where events occurred, and to the traveling public to find out what happened, why it happened, and to make recommendations to help ensure it never happens again.”
She noted that the NSB has already issued recommendations to the FAA based on the preliminary findings. Homendy said the current goal is to complete the investigation in one year.
Rocheleau said the FAA is using machine learning models to analyze data and determine risks and has also already taken the NTSB’s recommendation to eliminate mixed helicopter and fixed-wing traffic in certain areas.
“When essential helicopter operations, such as lifesaving medical, active law enforcement, active air defense, or presidential transport, must operate in the flight-restricted airspace, fixed-wing aircraft are not allowed in that airspace,” he said.
Braman clarified that the military uses the term “training flight” to describe any flight not involved in a direct mission and emphasized that the crew was fully qualified to operate the Black Hawk.
Helicopter and passenger jet collision
The collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Jan. 29 involved an American Airlines regional jet and a Black Hawk helicopter.
A preliminary report by the NTSB suggested there have been thousands of close calls with helicopters between 2021 and 2024. The investigation is still ongoing, with factors including technology, staffing and possible problems with the helicopter’s altimeter all being brought up as possible contributors to the crash.
The FAA has moved to permanently restrict helicopter traffic near runways in response.
Family members of some of the crash victims will also be present for the hearing and will receive a private briefing from the NTSB afterwards.
