Jennifer Homendy

An 18-month-old midair collision over the Potomac River between a military helicopter and regional jet killed 67 people. The NTSB issued 50 safety recommendations six months ago, urging Congress to act. Experts discuss FAA Order 7110.65 guidelines and human error in air traffic control.

The National Transportation Safety Board found that Bering Air, the operator of a commuter plane that crashed off Alaska in February 2025, had a history of overweight flights and the Federal Aviation Administration provided inadequate oversight. The crash, which killed all 10 people on board, was attributed to a combination of factors including the pilot's failure to maintain airspeed and routine overweight operations in icy conditions.

A commuter plane operated by Bering Air crashed on sea ice off Alaska, killing all 10 people on board, due to factors including a history of overweight flights and inadequate FAA oversight. The NTSB found the pilot failed to maintain adequate airspeed amid icy conditions, and the FAA did not address Bering Air's operational risks despite its rapid growth.

NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy urged Congress to implement 50 safety recommendations following a 2025 midair collision that killed 67 people, including three U.S. Army crew members. The FAA and U.S. Army have taken some measures, but legislative action remains stalled as the Senate passed the ROTOR Act and the House passed the ALERT Act without a unified bill.

The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) inadvertently leaked a cockpit audio recording by releasing a spectrogram, which was later reconstructed into audio by the public. The NTSB acknowledged the privacy breach, citing federal laws prohibiting such releases, and temporarily removed the public docket. The incident involved the 2025 UPS cargo plane crash in Louisville, which killed 15 people.