Documents reveal 2 close calls 1 day before deadly crash at D.C. airport
📖 Full Retelling
A former Reagan airport air traffic controller is speaking out about years of ignored warnings preceding the 2025 deadly midair collision that killed 67 people, saying "it worked until it didn't."
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60 Minutes Overtime Documents reveal 2 close calls between jets, military helicopters 1 day before deadly midair collision at D.C. airport By Sharyn Alfonsi , Sharyn Alfonsi Correspondent, 60 Minutes Sharyn Alfonsi is an award-winning correspondent for 60 Minutes. Read Full Bio Sharyn Alfonsi , Aliza Chasan , Aliza Chasan Digital Content Producer Aliza Chasan is a Digital Content Producer for "60 Minutes" and CBSNews.com. She has previously written for outlets including PIX11 News, The New York Daily News, Inside Edition and DNAinfo. Aliza covers trending news, often focusing on crime and politics. Read Full Bio Aliza Chasan , Andy Bast , Jessica Kegu March 29, 2026 / 7:33 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Internal safety reports obtained by 60 Minutes reveal that one day before the January 2025 midair collision over Washington, D.C. that killed 67 people, there were two close calls between passenger jets and military helicopters. On Jan. 28 around 4:30 p.m., a pair of Army helicopters approached Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, flying at a higher altitude than expected, sparking confusion inside the control tower. At the same time, an American Airlines flight from Norfolk was descending. An alarm sounded in the airplane's cockpit, instructing the jet pilot to climb quickly to a higher altitude and avoid a potential collision with the helicopters. Less than four hours later, when another Army helicopter approached, a different commercial flight, this one from Connecticut with seats for about 80 people, was preparing to land. For at least the second time in one day, a collision alarm sounded. The flight was forced to abort its landing. Both flights ultimately landed safely. But just a day later, on Jan. 29, an Army Black Hawk with the call sign PAT25 was flying a training mission that cut through Reagan National's airspace. The midair collision between that Black Hawk and American Airlines Flight 5342 left no survivors. "It worked until it didn't" Em...
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