U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, appeared on MSNBC’s Morning Joe to discuss findings from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) hearing into the January 29, 2025 mid-air collision near Reagan National Airport. The incident involved an Army Black Hawk helicopter and American Airlines flight 5342, resulting in 67 fatalities.
The three-day NTSB hearing highlighted failures by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) leaders to heed safety warnings from air traffic controllers and front-line employees. “What it all points to is that the FAA needs to listen to the air traffic controllers and the data that was there and available, and they need to lead on better safety regimes,” said Sen. Cantwell. “We cannot have this kind of transportation corridor congested with both military and commercial aviation space and allowing for just a few 100 feet to be the determinant of whether people are going to be able to make that work effectively. We owe it to the families to improve the FAA oversight of this system.”
During a subsequent appearance on CNN’s The Brief With Jim Sciutto, Cantwell questioned why changes were not made despite clear warning signs about flight path risks: “We have to ask very tough questions of the FAA. How is it with those warning signs and with this information -- and even air traffic controllers suggesting that this flight path should be changed -- no one changed it? If the FAA didn't take the precautions in this particular…corridor, what other corridors they might also be missing?”
In her comments on MSNBC, Cantwell further addressed airspace congestion: “Well, I don't know that this exemption that was given to the military to fly in this corridor was thought out, but certainly once data was provided where 1,500 [15,000] near misses happened, or even the air traffic controllers were suggesting that they did not like this route and didn't think it worked, then someone at the FAA should have taken that data and information, and made a change. And so, we need to have the aggressive responsibility with the FAA to monitor this kind of information, not just at [Reagan] National, but now at other airports where there might be a high level of interaction between corridors with military involvement and commercial air space.”
Senator Cantwell has taken several legislative steps following the accident. On June 5th, she joined other senators in introducing the Safe Operation of Shared Airspace Act of 2025 (SOSA), which aims to strengthen aviation safety standards nationwide by addressing shared military-commercial corridors.
She has also led calls for permanent helicopter restrictions near DCA. In March, she sent a letter requesting clarification from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth regarding Department of Defense aircraft operations without Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) Out transmitting in restricted regions.
On June 9th, Senators Cantwell and Cruz requested audits into DCA airspace safety issues by contacting both Department of Transportation Acting Inspector General Mitch Behm and Army Inspector General Lieutenant General Gregory J. Brady for concurrent investigations into coordination between Army operations and DCA air traffic control.
Cantwell previously played a significant role in advancing aviation safety legislation as Chair of her committee. She oversaw passage of the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 2024—focused on increasing safety staff such as air traffic controllers—and authored landmark reforms through her Aircraft Certification, Safety, and Accountability Act in 2020.
