LeadStory

CBS America

Close calls between aircrafts and helicopters happened near-daily at DCA

CBS America · New
CBS America
CBS America
New

A CBS News data analysis revealed that for a year leading up to January's deadly mid-air crash over the Potomac River, there were close encounters between helicopters and aircrafts nearly every day. CBS News' Kris Van Cleave reports on the findings.

Breakdown
  • Helicopters came within 500 feet of other aircraft at least 99 times in one year near Reagan National Airport. 11s
  • PSA, operating American Flight 5342, had more than four close encounters with helicopters weekly over 52 months. 18s
  • Neither airlines, the Army, nor the FAA had identified the risk of frequent close calls before the fatal crash. 1m 5s
  • One in ten helicopters exceeded the maximum altitude limit in the area where the collision occurred. 1m 12s
  • The FAA is developing new AI tools to detect patterns of risk missed in previous oversight. 1m 46s
Aviation