Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) doubled down during an interview on his concerns about the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport space being overcrowded following the fatal collision between a military helicopter and an airline plane that killed 67 people.

God forbid waking up and looking in a mirror one day and say, ‘Wow, I was warned. I was warned and I shouldn’t have done this,’” Kaine said in 2024.

An airspace cluttered with passenger planes and military aircraft. A history of near-crashes. And a growing shortage of air traffic controllers available to manage it all. Some experts, politicians and airport managers have been warning for years of the risks posed by the crowded airspace and volume of flights at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).

On May 29, 2024, an American Airlines Airbus A319, in the early stages of take-off, was forced to brake heavily to avoid a collision at Washington National. The flight, with around 100 passengers and crew onboard, was headed for Boston Logan International (BOS) and had been cleared for take-off.

Deadly mid-air collision over Washington, D.C., reignites concerns over air traffic congestion and safety risks at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport

The plan to add five incoming and five outgoing flights was included in the bipartisan FAA Reauthorization Act last year.

Before the additional flights were approved, a senator warned that the increase could heighten the risk of collisions.

Political leaders had warned about the dangers of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C. months before an American Airlines flight collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter on its approach to the airport.

Lawmakers have expressed concerns about congestion in at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport amid a constricted space.

Following the deadly midair collision on Wednesday, our investigators found that dozens of close calls have been reported at Reagan National since 2010.

A combination of factors may have played a role in the deadly airplane/helicopter crash, including increased air traffic on the world's busiest runway, vacant air traffic controller positions and outdated technology to make flights safer.

WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — A jet with 60 passengers and four crew members aboard collided Wednesday with an Army helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, prompting a large search-and-rescue operation in the nearby Potomac River.