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DCA crash anniversary: families honor 67 victims at DC vigil
Families from across the country are coming together at Constitution Hall to honor the 67 lives lost in the mid-air collision near DCA, marking one year since the crash. FOX 5 D.C.'s Shirin Rajaee has the story.
WASHINGTON - Hundreds of people from across the country are expected to attend a vigil this evening at Constitution Hall to honor the 67 lives lost in the midair collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) last year.
"Tonight is about celebrating the lives of 67 people and telling their stories," Rachel Feres, who lost four family members in the crash, told FOX 5 D.C.'s Shirin Rajaee prior to the event.
The backstory:
The crash happened on Jan. 29, 2025, when an Army Black Hawk helicopter and American Eagle Flight 5342 collided near DCA.
Just this week, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) held a major hearing on the crash, blaming deep systemic failures by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Army crew and air traffic operations for the crash.
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NTSB says DCA crash was 100% preventable
Political analyst, Marly Hornik, joins Live Zone.
Investigators said the tragedy was preventable, pointing to a helicopter route too close to the airport’s runway, poor communication, malfunctioning equipment and warnings about close calls that went unheeded.
The past year has included a grueling investigation and ongoing efforts by families to push for changes in aviation safety.
New legislation
What's next:
On Wednesday, a group of U.S. senators introduced the FAA SMS Compliance Review Act of 2026, which aims to improve the Federal Aviation Administration’s safety oversight and its ability to identify and address aviation safety issues.
"As we approach the one-year mark of the midair collision between American Airlines flight 5342 and an Army Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan Airport, it is our responsibility as legislators to make sure that nothing like that tragic crash ever happens again," Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) said in a statement.
"This bill creates an independent, expert-driven process to identify system-wide safety improvements so that they can be addressed in order to prevent another tragedy," he added.
The Source: Information from on-scene reporting at Constitution Hall and interviews with the victims’ families, as well as a press release.