Jennifer Homendy, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chair, told reporters on Wednesday that "the NTSB vehemently opposes Section 373 of the National Defense Authorization Act or NDAA."

"This is a significant, significant safety setback," Homendy said before stressing "it represents an unacceptable risk to the flying public."

American Airlines Flight 5342 and an Army helicopter collided in midair near Washington D.C.'s Ronald Reagan National on January 29th, 2025, sending both aircraft into the Potomac River and killing all 67 aboard in the deadliest U.S. air disaster since 2001.

The regional jet out of Wichita, Kansas, carried 60 passengers and four crew and was preparing to land. The UH-60 Black Hawk, based at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, was on a training exercise and carried three soldiers, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Skies were clear.

A few minutes before the Canadian-made Bombardier CRJ-700 series twin-engine jet was to land, air traffic controllers asked Flight 5342 if it could use a shorter runway. The pilots agreed. Controllers cleared the landing. Flight-tracking sites show the plane adjusted its approach to the new runway.

Less than 30 seconds before the collision, a controller asked the helicopter if it had the plane in sight. The military pilot said yes.

Moments later the controller made another call to the helicopter, apparently telling it to wait for the jet to pass.

There was no reply and the two aircraft collided.