FAA failed to properly test controllers after Reagan National crash

An NTSB hearing found the FAA did not perform required timely alcohol and drug tests for Reagan National controllers after the Jan. 29, 2025 collision and that agency officials had earlier rejected requests to change helicopter and airplane routes around the airport.

The National Transportation Safety Board held a public hearing examining the Jan. 29, 2025 mid-air collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport that killed 67 people. Investigators told the board that safety concerns raised by local controllers and helicopter pilots had repeatedly been brought to the FAA but were not acted on. The hearing also reviewed agency procedures after the crash and found failures in required testing and training. Officials discussed how those procedural gaps fit into broader, systemic issues across organizations. Key findings: - NTSB investigators said local controllers and helicopter pilots had asked the FAA to "deconflict" helicopter and airplane routes around Reagan National but the agency did not implement the requested route changes. - The FAA Air Traffic Organization did not follow Department of Transportation timelines for post-accident testing: urine drug tests were done about 18–20 hours later and no alcohol tests were performed, and investigators said involved controllers had not received required Threat and Error Management training. Investigators reported they do not believe drugs or alcohol played a role in the collision. - The NTSB has previously identified other contributors to the crash, and the FAA last week made permanent temporary airspace changes that had been implemented after the accident. Summary: The NTSB hearing concluded there were systemic oversight and procedural failings related to route design, training, and post-accident testing that preceded the fatal collision. Permanent airspace changes have been enacted, and the next formal procedural or legal steps were not specified in the hearing record. Undetermined at this time.