For the F.A.A., three deadly crashes and a reckoning
For the FAA, Jan. 29 was the beginning of one of the most challenging stretches it has faced in decades. That night, in Washington, an American Airlines regional jet collided with an Army helicopter near Ronald Reagan National Airport, resulting in 67 deaths. In a news conference the next day, President Trump pointed his finger at the F.A.A., even though the crash investigation was just beginning. On Jan. 31, a medical jet crashed in a Philadelphia neighborhood shortly after takeoff, killing all six on board and one person on the ground. While it remains unclear whether the F.A.A.’s lack of oversight contributed to the episode, the timing has raised concerns. Adding to the agency’s woes, on Feb. 1, an aviation alert system had an outage, its first in two years. The 10-day period of crises was capped by another deadly crash, on Feb. 6, involving Bering Air Flight 445 near Nome, Alaska, resulting in the deaths of 10 people. As the incidents unfolded, confusion in the F.A.A. grew regarding the future of its air traffic controllers, particularly about whether they were exempt from federal job cuts. Less than a month into Trump’s new administration, the convergence of crashes, equipment malfunctions and fatalities is raising profound concern about the safety of U.S. airspace. Though the crashes may ultimately be attributed at least in part to pilot error, treacherous conditions or both, their quick succession and the recent system outage nonetheless point to a troubling question: Is the F.A.A. still able to keep air travel safe? Story has details.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2025-02-13/general/for-the-f-a-a-three-deadly-crashes-and-a-reckoning
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For the F.A.A., three deadly crashes and a reckoning
For the FAA, Jan. 29 was the beginning of one of the most challenging stretches it has faced in decades. That night, in Washington, an American Airlines regional jet collided with an Army helicopter near Ronald Reagan National Airport, resulting in 67 deaths. In a news conference the next day, President Trump pointed his finger at the F.A.A., even though the crash investigation was just beginning. On Jan. 31, a medical jet crashed in a Philadelphia neighborhood shortly after takeoff, killing all six on board and one person on the ground. While it remains unclear whether the F.A.A.’s lack of oversight contributed to the episode, the timing has raised concerns. Adding to the agency’s woes, on Feb. 1, an aviation alert system had an outage, its first in two years. The 10-day period of crises was capped by another deadly crash, on Feb. 6, involving Bering Air Flight 445 near Nome, Alaska, resulting in the deaths of 10 people. As the incidents unfolded, confusion in the F.A.A. grew regarding the future of its air traffic controllers, particularly about whether they were exempt from federal job cuts. Less than a month into Trump’s new administration, the convergence of crashes, equipment malfunctions and fatalities is raising profound concern about the safety of U.S. airspace. Though the crashes may ultimately be attributed at least in part to pilot error, treacherous conditions or both, their quick succession and the recent system outage nonetheless point to a troubling question: Is the F.A.A. still able to keep air travel safe? Story has details.<br/>
