DC plane crash is rare for the US. What safety rules started after last deadly crash?
A rare tragedy shocked the nation when an American Airlines plane collided with a military helicopter near Washington, D.C.
The mid-air crash was reported near Reagan Washington National Airport late Jan. 29. At least 28 people have been found dead as crews continue to search the Potomac River, according to the Federal Aviation Administration and the Associated Press.
No survivors are expected to be found.
The crash marks the first involving a commercial plane in the United States since 2009, when a Colgan Air flight went down on its way to Buffalo Niagara International Airport in New York. Fifty people died in the crash, McClatchy News reported.
Since then, the country has bolstered its safety standards.
Here are some highlights from the Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act of 2010, passed in reaction to that crash:
- Requiring pilots to have at least 1,500 flight hours, up from 250 hours
- Requiring the FAA to inspect commercial aircraft carriers each year
- Requiring carriers to limit pilots’ flight hours to help avoid fatigue
- Requiring flight crews to receive training on weather conditions
- Launching a database for pilot records
“This landmark aviation safety legislation addressed many of the factors contributing to the increasing safety gap between regional and mainline carriers by requiring the FAA to develop regulations to improve safety, including enhanced entry-level pilot training and qualification standards, pilot fatigue rules, airline pilot training and safety management programs, and the creation of an electronic Pilot Record Database,” the office of U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York wrote in a 2024 news release.
The Air Line Pilots Association also has has credited the law with further strengthening aviation safety.
“While passengers traveling today on U.S. airlines can have a high degree of confidence that their pilots possess the qualifications, experience, and training they need to perform their jobs safely, this hasn’t always been the case,” the organization wrote. “This country’s current extraordinary flight safety record is largely due to the Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act of 2010.
“In passing the law, Congress stepped in to protect airline passengers after a series of fatal airline accidents, each of which resulted in part from the inexperience and inadequate training of pilots. The resulting federal regulations strengthened airline pilot qualification, training, and experience requirements.”
How rare are plane crashes?
Nationwide, aviation tragedies are rare. There have been at least six deadly commercial plane crashes since 1979, McClatchy News reported.
The FAA says it works with more than 45,000 flights each day.
“In 2022, passengers in cars and trucks were injured at a rate of 42 per 100 million miles traveled,” according to USAFacts, which said it used data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. “For air travel, it was 0.007 per 100 million miles.”
The American Airlines jet involved in the Jan. 29 crash originated in Wichita, Kansas, and had 60 passengers on board. The helicopter was on an Army training flight, according to the Associated Press.
This story was originally published January 30, 2025 at 11:32 AM with the headline "DC plane crash is rare for the US. What safety rules started after last deadly crash?."
