DC Airport Had Been Plagued By Safety Concerns Ahead Of Deadly Crash

Pilots, lawmakers and aviation experts have been sounding the alarm about Ronald Reagan National Airport for a while.

The airport where a passenger jet was set to land before it collided with a military helicopter Wednesday night has long grappled with safety issues, according to aviation experts and media reports.

American Eagle Flight 5342 crashed into an Army Black Hawk helicopter in midair near Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA) in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, killing all 67 people aboard. But even before the disaster, several past safety incidents had occurred at the airport, and lawmakers and members of the aviation industry warned that it was only a matter of time before something catastrophic unfolded there.

According to air traffic control data obtained by The Washington Post, a similar incident almost unfolded at the airport just 24 hours earlier. Per that data, the Post reported, a Republic Airways flight jet trying to land at DCA had to make a second approach when a helicopter appeared near its flight path.

A CNN review of federal incident reports found that at least two other pilots have reported near-misses with helicopters while landing at DCA.

And according to The New York Times, an internal Federal Aviation Administration report suggests that the air traffic controller on duty at DCA the night of the collision was doing a job typically handled by two people.