The National Transportation Safety Board uncovered more than 15,000 “near-miss events” between helicopters and jets at Reagan National airport in just three years leading up to the American Airlines jet and Army helicopter collision that killed 67 people.

Pilots have long worried about the congested and complex airspace around Reagan National near the heart of the capital, where flights must maneuver around military aircraft and restricted areas. It was no secret there had been previous close calls, but the numbers found by the NTSB were alarming.

There were over 15,200 near-miss events at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport between October 2021 and December 2024, the agency said