DOT Launches Safety Audit of FAA Oversight of DCA Airspace

Image: The U.S. Department of Transportation building in Washington, D.C. (Photo Credit: Tada Images / Adobe Stock)

by Janeen Christoff
Last updated: 4:10 PM ET, Fri August 8, 2025

The Department of Transportation Office of the Inspector General (DOT) announced it will spearhead a safety audit of the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) oversight of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport airspace following the January 29,? mid-air collision.

In June, Senator Maria Cantwell, ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, led a bipartisan letter with Chairman Ted Cruz requesting concurrent safety audits from both the Department of Transportation's acting inspector general and the Army's inspector general. The letter addressed coordination issues between the Army and DCA air traffic control that may have contributed to the fatal collision. The Army has refused to conduct its own audit.

"This DOT Inspector General audit will demand answers about why the FAA ignored over 15,000 dangerous helicopter incidents and allowed military aircraft to fly without critical safety equipment in DCA's congested airspace," said Cantwell. "It's time for the Army IG to step up and launch their own audit."

The senators' June 9 letter requested the DOT audit "determine whether FAA's decisions regarding airspace design failures contributed to the accident at DCA, including any FAA actions to reduce required separation margins, and assess FAA's oversight and enforcement of ADS-B Out exemptions utilized by relevant Federal agencies to determine if such exemptions have been granted and used appropriately, particularly in Class B airspace."

Cantwell has led the investigation through her Commerce Committee role, calling for permanent helicopter restrictions near DCA. On March 7, she wrote Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth requesting clarification on military aircraft operations in the National Capital Region without Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast transmitting equipment.

The senator introduced the Safe Operation of Shared Airspace Act of 2025 on June 5, the first comprehensive safety legislation responding to the DCA collision.

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