FAA chief acknowledges failures in midair crash that killed 67

It was the deadliest plane crash on U.S. soil since 2001

The head of the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Bryan Bedford, has acknowledged his agency's systemic failures directly led to a devastating mid-air collisionthat claimed 67 lives.

This admission follows findings by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

The January 2025 incident, involving an American Airlines regional jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, marked the deadliest US aviation disaster in over two decades.

The NTSB concluded last week that the accident stemmed from the FAA's decision to permit helicopters to operate close to the airport without adequate safeguards to separate them from aeroplanes.

The safety board also highlighted the FAA's failure to review crucial data and implement recommendations aimed at relocating helicopter traffic away from the busy airspace.

"We don't disagree with anything that the NTSB has concluded from their investigations. Many of the recommendations have already been put into action.

“Those that haven't, we're going to evaluate," Bedford told reporters on the sidelines of an aviation conference in Singapore.

Bedford declined to say if the FAA would decertify Canadian-made planes after President Donald Trump threatened last week to do so if Canada did not approve some of U.S. private jet maker Gulfstream's models (Associated Press)

Separately, Bedford declined to say if the FAA would decertify Canadian-made planes after President Donald Trump threatened last week to do so if Canada did not approve some of U.S. private jet maker Gulfstream's models.

"Our concern is whether or not sufficient resources are being applied to U.S. products equal to the resources that we're applying to certify foreign products. So we just want a level playing field," Bedford said.

Canadian officials said last week they were working to resolve the dispute after Trump's threats to decertify ‌and slap tariffs on Canada-made aircraft sent shares of business jet maker Bombardier down 6 per cent on Friday.

Airline officials said if the U.S. could decertify airplanes for economic reasons, it would give other countries a powerful weapon and could put the entire aviation system at risk.

Bedford said the FAA was still evaluating a request by Boeing to increase production of its best-selling 737 MAX aircraft from 42 per month to 47 per month.

The January 2025 collision between an American Airlines regional jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport was the deadliest U.S. aviation disaster in more than two decades (Associated Press)

Everyone aboard the jet, flying from Wichita, Kansas, and the Black Hawk helicopter died when the two aircraft collided and plummeted into the icy Potomac River.

It was the deadliest plane crash on U.S. soil since 2001, and the victims included 28 members of the figure skating community.

The Federal Aviation Administration last week made a permanent change to ensure helicopters and planes no longer share the same airspace around the airport.

The NTSB will recommend additional action, and families of the victims say they hope there's meaningful change.