The National Transportation Safety Board will highlight what led to a fatal mid-air collision near Washington, D.C., during a full-day hearing

A daylong hearing on Tuesday should shed light on which factors played the biggest role in causing the mid-air collision near last January. washingtonWashington, D.C., killed 67 people, and the National Transportation Safety Board will recommend what measures should be taken to prevent similar tragedies from happening.

Everyone flying on American Airlines WichitaKansas and army On January 29, 2025, two Black Hawk helicopters collided and crashed into the icy Potomac River, killing him. This is the worst air crash in the United States since 2001.

this Federal Aviation Administration The company made changes shortly after the crash to ensure helicopters and planes no longer share the same congested airspace around the nation’s capital, and made the changes permanent last week. but National Transportation Safety Board More action will be recommended, which victims’ families say they hope will lead to meaningful change.

Rachel Feres lost her cousin Peter Livingston, his wife and two young daughters in the accident. “No one has to wake up to hear that an entire branch of their family tree disappeared, or their wife disappeared, or their children disappeared. That’s what I hope for. I hope we have a clear sense of urgency.”

Whether that happens will depend on how Congress, the Army and the Trump administration respond after the hearings. But the victims’ families said they would continue to pressure officials to take action.

Young Alydia and Everly Livingston were among 28 members of the figure skating community who died in the accident. Many of them have competed in national skating competitions and development camps in Wichita.

The National Transportation Safety Board has shed light on many of the key factors that led to the crash and detailed what happened that night. They included poorly designed helicopter routes over Reagan Field, Black Hawks flying 78 feet (23.7 meters) higher than they should have been, warnings ignored by the Federal Aviation Administration several years ago and the Army’s move to shut down a key system that more clearly broadcast helicopter locations.

Last year’s Washington, D.C., collision follows a number of other high-profile crashes and near misses that have worried the flying public. But NTSB statistics show last year’s total number of crashes was actually the lowest since the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, with 1,405 crashes nationwide.

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Fields reported from Washington. Fink reported from Omaha, Nebraska, and White reported from Detroit. AP Airlines writer Rio Yamat contributed from Las Vegas.