Echoes of Recent Tragedy, Spotlight on Airspace and Military Training

Near Miss at Reagan National Airport in 2018

In July 2018, a near-collision incident occurred at Reagan National Airport outside Washington, D.C., mirroring the tragic midair collision that happened in November 2023.

The incident involved a trio of helicopters flying along a similar route as the Army Black Hawk helicopter involved in the recent fatal crash. It's unclear who these helicopters belonged to.

As a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) technical center plane approached Runway 33, at least one of the helicopters had to take evasive action to avoid a collision. Notably, Runway 33 was the same runway that American Eagle Flight 5342 was supposed to land on before the recent deadly crash.

Adding to the similarities, only one air traffic controller was managing both local plane and helicopter traffic during the 2018 incident, a role typically handled by two people. An FAA aviation safety report synopsis revealed that the air traffic controller in the tower failed to provide traffic information to multiple flights approaching the airport.

Scanner audio obtained by CBS News captured the helicopter pilot informing the air traffic controller that they had to "divert to avoid that aircraft." The controller apologized for the near miss to both pilots, stating, "I should've been better with that traffic call. Sorry about that. I'm sorry for the confusion."

The crucial difference between the 2018 incident and the recent collision that tragically claimed 67 lives was the time of day. The 2018 incident occurred during daylight hours, allowing for better visibility for the helicopter to take evasive action and avoid the approaching aircraft.

The FAA has not responded to requests for comment.

CBS News has identified at least five close calls between planes and helicopters around Reagan National in recent years.

The Black Hawk helicopter involved in the recent collision was on a training flight at the time. Lawmakers have raised concerns about the safety of having military aircraft practice in the same airspace as commercial aircraft.

Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri expressed his concerns, stating, "I have not yet heard a good reason why military helicopters are doing training exercises in the same airspace as commercial airliners – at night with peak congestion. I hope these exercises in the Reagan airspace will be suspended indefinitely until the investigation is complete."

Billy Nolan, who served as acting administrator of the FAA during the Biden administration, argues that military helicopters should be sharing the air space with commercial aircraft. He suggests examining the design of the airspace and procedures to identify potential improvements and prevent similar tragedies from happening again.