Accidents
NTSB DC Midair Hearing Panel 3 Covers Frequency Issues
Technology has not been deployed despite what many feel is an urgent need
Clark Allen, FAA DCA air traffic control tower
Clark Allen, FAA DCA operations manager at the air traffic control tower at the time of the Jan. 29, 2025 midair collision, during the NTSB investigative hearing. © NTSB livestream

During the third panel session of the NTSB’s investigative hearing on the Jan. 29, 2025 midair collision between an airliner and a U.S. Army helicopter, the issue of frequency blocking was raised. Sixty-seven people were killed in the collision of an Army UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter and a PSA Airlines CRJ700 near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (KDCA).

Helicopter traffic in the KDCA Class B airspace operates on a separate frequency from fixed-wing traffic, so while the air traffic controller can hear all traffic, helicopter pilots can’t hear the transmissions from fixed-wing aircraft, and fixed-wing pilots can’t hear calls from helicopter pilots, although both can hear the tower controller.

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