Latest news with #FAA
New York Post
an hour ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Feds launch audit into FAA over gutted Long Island air traffic control facility as safety concerns rise over Newark airspace
The feds are questioning the Federal Aviation Administration's decision to relocate air traffic controllers who oversee Newark's airspace from Long Island to Philadelphia — following a series of radar blackouts and growing concerns over exhausted, short-staffed crews working 60-hour weeks. The Department of Transportation's Inspector General confirmed this week that it's auditing the FAA's 2024 decision to shift control of Newark Liberty Airport's airspace from New York TRACON, the radar hub in Westbury, to Philadelphia's air traffic tower after they experienced a series of radar blackouts in New Jersey. 'The FAA downplayed the safety risks,' Rep. Laura Gillen said of the relocation. 4 The DOT's inspector general confirmed that the agency will audit the FAA's decision to shift control of Newark Liberty Airport's airspace. Rep. Laura Gillen (pictured) accused the agency of downplaying safety risks. Brandon Cruz / NY Post 'They reported the risk of an outage is one in 11 million — and it happened twice in the year since they moved,' Gillen said — referencing two 90-second radar blackouts at Newark airport in April and May of this year. The controversial move stripped 12 veteran controllers from TRACON, one of the nation's busiest radar centers, and left behind what local leaders and air traffic controllers said is a facility in dire need of help. 'Staff are burnt out — and very concerned about safety and feel very strongly that those moved to Philadelphia should come back to this facility,' Gillen told reporters outside the TRACON building after touring it Tuesday. Erick Carlo, a veteran air traffic controller with over a decade of experience, agreed that he wants to see the jobs come back to Long Island. 4 The controversial move stripped 12 veteran controllers from TRACON. New York Post Carlo and Gillen, a Democrat who represents Long Island, described what is essentially a 'hole' on the floor where the relocated staff used to work, and said their absence has further hindered the progress of safer air travel in one of the busiest air traffic control hubs in the country. The FAA previously defended the move as necessary for efficiency and to address staffing shortages, but Gillen said only one additional graduate has joined the team and staffing issues remain relatively the same since the move. On top of the staffing issues, the facility is in dire need of modern upgrades. 4 Sean Duffy arrives for the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing titled Oversight of the Department of Transportation's Policies and Programs and FY2026 Budget Request, in Rayburn building on July 16, 2025. 'It's tough to put it into perspective,' Carlo, a representative of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association labor union, told The Post. He described having to use radars and equipment from the 1980s and 90s at TRACON, and said that only 8% of the FAA's facilities and equipment budget goes toward modernizing the system that millions of travelers rely on each year. 'The staffing shortages are one thing, but the equipment we use… I can't say that the equipment is not working — it's working — but it's ancient,' Carlo said. 4 Air traffic controllers monitor air traffic at the FAA TRACON center in Westbury, NY. Freelance Prior to the move, if the old technology they are forced to work on had an issue, he was able to go over to Newark's side and collaborate to ensure the skies remain safe, which is no longer an option, Carlo, who watches over JFK, explained. The Department of Transportation audit will probe whether the plan actually backfired — compromising safety, morale, and operational continuity at one of the country's busiest air traffic control hubs. If the audit determines that operations are most efficient out of Long Island, then the air traffic controllers who moved from the area to Philadelphia will have to move back. FAA officials declined to comment outside of the facility.
The Sun
an hour ago
- Politics
- The Sun
FAA failed to act before fatal helicopter crash, US transport chief says
WASHINGTON: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) failed to take action despite dozens of near-miss incidents before a fatal January crash involving an American Airlines regional jet and an Army helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Tuesday. 'The mistake was that this was not unforeseen. We had 84 near misses in the three years before in the D.C. air space, and no one did anything,' Duffy told reporters. 'Someone was asleep at the wheel. Someone should have seen that.' The January 29 crash, which killed 67 people, occurred just days after President Donald Trump took office. Duffy said it was unclear if the safety data had been elevated to then-Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg or the FAA leadership under President Joe Biden. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) disclosed in March that since 2021, there were 15,200 air separation incidents near Reagan between commercial airplanes and helicopters, including 85 close-call events. Duffy added that the FAA was reviewing other recent near-miss incidents and potential hot spots. 'We've seen some near misses recently. We're not ignoring that,' Duffy said, noting that the FAA was considering 'what moves do we have to take to make sure it doesn't happen again.' Lawmakers from both parties have questioned why the FAA failed to act for years to address close calls involving helicopters near Reagan. 'Clearly, something was missed,' FAA Deputy Administrator Chris Rocheleau told senators in March. The FAA in early May barred the Army from helicopter flights around the Pentagon after a May 1 close call that forced two civilian planes to abort landings. The FAA said Tuesday the helicopter flights remained on hold even after the agency disclosed it had signed a new agreement with the Army on July 1. Separately, U.S. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll met Tuesday with relatives of those killed in the crash. The NTSB is holding a three-day investigative hearing into the January crash starting on Wednesday, reviewing the Army helicopter's air data systems and altimeters, as well as FAA oversight of Washington airspace. On Tuesday, Senator Ted Cruz and several other Republican senators unveiled legislation to require the use of ADS-B, an advanced aircraft-tracking technology, by military helicopters near civilian planes. The accident helicopter was not using ADS-B at the time of the January collision. - Reuters
NBC News
an hour ago
- General
- NBC News
NTSB hearings will focus on fatal Army helicopter-passenger jet crash. Here's what to know
WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board will hold three days of hearings starting Wednesday on January's midair collision between an American Airlines passenger jet and an Army helicopter over the nation's capital that killed 67 people. The goal: Pinpoint exactly what went wrong and what can be done to avoid similar midair crashes between passenger planes and military aircraft. The accident was the nation's deadliest plane crash since November 2001. The hearings in Washington will involve NTSB board members, investigators and witnesses. Panels will focus on military helicopter routes in the Washington area, collision avoidance technology and training for air traffic controllers at Ronald Reagan National Airport, among other subjects. NTSB officials have already said the FAA failed to recognize a concerning pattern after there were 85 near misses in Washington airspace in just three years. The FAA has since banned some helicopter routes to make sure helicopters and planes no longer share the same airspace, but there have still been additional near misses in recent months. Investigators have also said that the Army helicopter may have had inaccurate altitude readings, and the crew may not have heard key instructions from air traffic controllers. Meanwhile, federal officials have raised concerns over the nation's overtaxed and understaffed air traffic control system. During January's mid-air crash above Washington, one controller was handling both commercial airline and helicopter traffic at the busy airport. The hearings come at a time of heightened scrutiny of the safety of air travel amid the growing list of aircraft tragedies, mishaps and near misses in 2025. They include an Air India plane crash in June that killed at least 260 people as well as two unrelatedclose calls in the U.S. this month in which passenger jets took evasive action to avoid military planes. Here's a look at the crash, the investigation so far and other notable aircraft incidents this year. What happened? American Airlines Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas, was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members as it approached to land on a clear night at Ronald Reagan National Airport. Nearby, the Army Black Hawk, with three soldiers on board, was practicing emergency evacuation routes that would be used to ferry out key government officials in an emergency. Investigators have said the helicopter crew was wearing night-vision goggles that would have limited their peripheral vision. A few minutes before the twin-engine jet was to land, air traffic controllers asked if it could use a shorter runway. The pilots agreed, and flight-tracking sites show the plane turned to adjust its approach. The FAA has since permanently banned that particular helicopter route when planes are using that runway. Shortly before the collision, a controller got an alert saying the plane and Black Hawk were converging and asked the helicopter if it had the jet in sight. The military pilot said yes and asked for "visual separation" with the jet for a second time, allowing it to fly closer than if the pilots couldn't see the plane. Controllers approved the request roughly 20 seconds before the collision. The NTSB has said there were 85 dangerous close calls between planes and helicopters near Reagan National in the three years before the crash, and collision alarms had been ordering pilots to take evasive action at least once a month since 2011. The investigation NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy told reporters in February that the Black Hawk's cockpit recorder suggested an incomplete radio transmission may have left the crew unable to hear air traffic control tell them, just before the crash, to move behind the jet. She said the crew was unable to hear the words "pass behind the" because its microphone key was pressed. The radio altitude of the helicopter was 278 feet at the time, which would put it above its 200-foot limit for that location. Cockpit conversations a few minutes before the crash indicate that the crew may not have had accurate altitude readings, with the helicopter's pilot calling out that they were at 300 feet but the instructor pilot saying 400 feet, Homendy said. That generation of Black Hawks typically has two types of altimeters: one relying on barometric pressure and the other on radio frequency signals bounced off the ground. Helicopter pilots typically rely on barometric readings while flying, but the helicopter's black box captures its radio altitude. Almost immediately after the crash, President Donald Trump faulted the helicopter for flying too high. He also blamed federal diversity and inclusion efforts, particularly regarding air traffic controllers. When pressed by reporters, the president could not back up those claims. A few days later, he blamed an "obsolete" air traffic control system. January's crash prompted the Federal Aviation Administration in March to announce that helicopters would be permanently restricted from flying on the same route where the collision occurred. However, concerns over Washington's airspace have persisted. On May 1, military air traffic controllers lost contact with an Army helicopter for about 20 seconds as it neared the Pentagon on a flight that caused two commercial jets to abort their landings. After that incident, the Army paused all flights into and out of the Pentagon as it works with the FAA to address safety issues. The victims The Army identified the Black Hawk crew as Capt. Rebecca M. Lobach, 28, of Durham, North Carolina; Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O'Hara, 28, of Lilburn, Georgia; and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39, of Great Mills, Maryland. O'Hara was the crew chief, and Eaves and Lobach were pilots. Among the jet's passengers were several members of the Skating Club of Boston who were returning from a development camp for elite junior skaters that followed the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita. A figure skating tribute event in Washington raised $1.2 million for the crash victims' families. Others included a group of hunters returning from a guided trip in Kansas; four members of a steamfitters' union in suburban Maryland; nine students and parents from schools in Fairfax County, Virginia; and two Chinese nationals. What about other crashes this year? Besides the midair collision above Washington, a string of other recent crashes have brought attention to air travel, which remains overwhelmingly safe. The crashes include: On Jan. 31 a medical transport jet crashed into a Philadelphia neighborhood, killing seven. On Feb. 6 a small commuter aircraft went down off western Alaska, killing 10. On Feb. 17, a Delta plane crashed and flipped over upon landing in Toronto but everyone survived. Two small planes collided in midair in Arizona on Feb. 19, killing two people. On April 10, a New York City sightseeing helicopter broke apart in midair and crashed upside-down into the Hudson River, killing the pilot and a family of five Spanish tourists. On April 11, three people were killed and one was injured when a small plane crashed in Boca Raton, Florida. The crash of the Air India passenger plane in June occurred in the northwestern city of Ahmedabad, killing more than 240 people bound for London and others on the ground, officials said. A single passenger survived. The same month, a small plane crashed off the San Diego coast shortly after takeoff, killing all six people on board. July included at least three fatal plane crashes. Two student pilots died when their single-engine planes crashed in midair south of Steinbach, in the Canadian province of Manitoba. A small plane crashed shortly after taking off from London Southend Airport, killing four people. A North Carolina family of four, including two school-age children, died when their small plane crashed as they flew back from Florida.
Gulf Today
7 hours ago
- Business
- Gulf Today
Boeing's quarterly loss shrinks as jet deliveries rebound, shares drop
Boeing's quarterly loss more than halved and was much smaller than analysts expected as the US planemaker ramped up jet deliveries, recovering from a regulatory crisis and a major strike that halted most production last year. The results highlighted Boeing's efforts to cautiously increase monthly output this year, following years of quality issues and production delays on its flagship 737 MAX. Increased deliveries mark a pivotal step in Boeing's effort to rebound from years of production disruptions and crises that piled on debt, increasing the urgency of accelerating output to restore financial stability. Boeing shares dropped 3.7% in midday trading. The company's financial improvements were tempered by its announcement that certification of the new 777-9 and 737 MAX 7 and 10 models will not happen until 2026, another setback for those programs. The company previously said it expected to finish certification by the end of this year. The company is still developing solutions to address problems with the 737 MAX models' engine de-icing systems that are stalling certification, which is proving a "little more tricky" than anticipated, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg told CNBC. During the interview, he praised President Donald Trump's aggressive use of tariffs to hammer out trade deals. "I like the way this tariff situation is playing out," Ortberg told CNBC. "It's good for our business, is good for aerospace," and will create jobs in the United States. The US and EU agreed to exempt aircraft and aviation parts from tariffs. However, raw materials such as steel and aluminium remain subject to steep duties. The planemaker posted an adjusted core loss per share of $1.24 for the quarter through June, compared with a $2.90 loss a year ago. Analysts had expected a loss of $1.48 per share. The planemaker's free cash flow usage, a key metric for Wall Street, was better than expected, signaling an improving cash position. "As we continue to execute our Safety & Quality Plan, there's more stability in our operations," Ortberg said in a letter to Boeing employees. Boeing's commercial plane division will lose money through the year, but free cash flow looks to be positive by year-end, Boeing Chief Financial Officer Brian West said during a call with analysts. In May, the company produced 38 737s and production has been stable since then, according to Boeing. The company expects to shut down its 737 shadow factory in Moses Lake, Washington, which supports its main production lines, by the end of the year, West said. The US Federal Aviation Administration capped the production of Boeing's best-selling 737 MAX jets following a mid-air panel blowout in a nearly new jet in January 2024. "We plan to seek FAA approval to increase to rate 42 when our key performance indicators (KPIs) show that we're ready," Ortberg added. The agency will review Boeing's supply chain before allowing a rate increase, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said last week. He called Boeing's efforts to improve production quality "real' but "embryonic.' Boeing delivered 206 737 MAX jets through the first half of the year, compared to 135 a year earlier. Across all commercial jet programs, it delivered 285 airliners through June, compared to 175 during the same period in 2024. Wall Street closely tracks aircraft deliveries because planemakers collect much of their payment when they hand over jets to customers. Boeing also increased 787 production at its plant in Charleston, South Carolina, from five aircraft a month to seven. The company expects to deliver more than a dozen 787s that have been delayed due to supply-chain problems, West said. Through the first half of the year, the planemaker booked 668 orders, or 625 net orders after cancellations and conversions. In May, Boeing's defense, space, and security division resumed deliveries of its KC-46 aerial refueling tanker to the US Air Force, after finding cracks in at least two new aircraft this year. The company started ground testing of the MQ-25, a refueling drone ordered by the US Navy, during the quarter. Members of the machinists union at the defense division overwhelmingly rejected a four-year contract offer on Sunday. The union represents 3,200 Boeing employees, mostly in the St. Louis area. If negotiations stall, union members could approve a strike as soon as Sunday. A strike would be much smaller than the one Boeing endured last fall, when 33,000 machinists at Boeing's commercial plane division walked out for nearly two months. "We'll manage through this," Ortberg said during the call. The division earned an operating profit of $110 million, compared with a loss of $913 million a year ago. It reported free cash flow usage of $200 million for the second quarter, compared with analysts' expectations of $1.72 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG. Boeing burned $2.3 billion in free cash during the previous quarter and $4.33 billion during the second quarter of 2024. Revenue for the quarter rose 35% to $22.75 billion, beating analysts' estimates of $21.84 billion. Agencies
Politico
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Politico
Ted Cruz looks to force changes to military flights near airports, after deadly airline crash
'Leaders became complacent, and we had warnings of near-misses in the D.C. airspace — unacceptable,' he said, adding that upholding safety standards is 'not partisan.' 'I look forward to working with you and your colleagues to advance this cause,' he said. Cruz's bill also would require the FAA to issue a rule requiring all civilian aircraft operating near airports to have the ADS-B technology that would allow other aircraft to see one another; the same standard would apply for military and law enforcement aircraft, according to a summary of the changes provided to the media on Tuesday. 'This legislation will save lives,' added Homendy, who will lead this week's NTSB fact-finding hearings into the crash. Homendy said the ADSB-In provision itself — which the independent agency has been calling for more than 20 years — will be 'a game changer, when it comes to safety.' Earlier this year, the FAA prohibited Army flights to and from the Pentagon within Washington airspace until the agency finished reviewing its agreement with the DOD that governs the procedures to access that airspace. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford on Tuesday said that agreement was nearly complete, and would still give some leeway 'to support our warfighters' training needs,' but did not elaborate further. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), the committee's ranking member, introduced similar legislation, S. 1985, earlier this year. It also would require the FAA to establish a coordination office to oversee military aircraft flights and also prompt carriers to include ADSB-In within four years of the bill's passage. Doug Lane, speaking on behalf of the families of those lost on board the regional PSA Airlines flight, on Tuesday lauded Cruz's particular provision for 'stronger ADS-B requirements in the bill, as well as the requirement for the Army inspector general to conduct an audit into the Army's role in her accident.' Lane lost his wife and son in the crash. The Army inspector general would also have to probe any systemic issues that contributed to the Jan. 29 incident, which was the worst U.S. aviation disaster in more than two decades. The legislation would require a review of all helicopter routes that come in close proximity to other aircraft across the country, which the FAA in part has already begun since the January crash. The same applies to a study specific to airspace surrounding Reagan National, according to the summary of the legislation provided to media. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) also introduced a limited bill that would bar all aircraft, including military aircraft, from operating in congested airspace unless the aircraft has ADS–B In and ADS–B Out equipment. Moran is also a sponsor of Cruz's bill, and on Tuesday said Cruz adopted his provision into the larger bill. Sam Ogozalek contributed to this report.
