Last week saw the worst U.S. aviation disaster in nearly a quarter century when an Army helicopter collided in midair with an American Airlines passenger plane near Washington, D.C.’s Reagan National Airport. None survived among the 64 passengers and crew onboard American Eagle flight 5342, nor did the helicopter’s three soldiers.
While investigation into the accident is ongoing, a tragedy such as Wednesday’s was, sadly, a matter of time. Aviation safety has withered, reliant on outdated technology and a workforce weakened by progressive policies.
Near collisions have generated concern in recent years following several high-profile incidents. From 2019-2024, almost 10,000 runway incursions were reported by the Federal Aviation Administration. It’s perhaps impressive that more incidents don’t occur: 45,000 flights take off on any given day, transporting over 10 million passengers annually — that’s an exponential increase from the 1970s, before deregulation made flight affordable for almost everyone.
Technology to manage air traffic has not kept pace with air travel’s democratization.
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Carolyn Gorman is a Paulson Policy Analyst at the Manhattan Institute. Stephen Eide is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute.
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