Ronald Reagan Washington one of the most demanding airports for pilots, who face helicopter alley

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport has the busiest runaway in the US, with an average of 819 takeoffs per day – which experts say likely contributed to Wednesday’s air disaster.The airport – also known as DCA – also has two other runways, launching 62 flights an hour, according to a 2023 report by the Alexandria Times.It is in proximity to two other airports, including international Washington Dulles, and various military bases which also launch large volumes of aircraft, making for crowded airspace where precision is key.“DCA is one of the most demanding airports in the world.It also has what’s known as ‘helicopter alley’ with hundreds of police, military, news and rescue helicopters criss-crossing the Potomac River – it’s crazy out there,” Captain Ross “Rusty” Aimer, a retired United Airlines pilot and aviation expert, told The Post.Wednesday’s collision between a military helicopter with three soldiers aboard and a commercial jet carrying 64 people coming in to land resulted in the death of all.An initial Federal Airlines Authority report said one air traffic controller was doing two people’s job at the time – handling both the helicopter traffic and plane landings.Staffing was “not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic,” the report, seen by the New York Times, admitted.

They had only 19 fully certified controllers in September 2023, which is a third lower than the target set by the FAA. “DC airspace is very unique,” Henry Harteveldt, President and travel industry analyst with Atmosphere Research Group, told The Post, citing the proximity of the military operations and the outdated design of the airport.“Reagan National was built in the 1930s as the original airport in DC … commercial and military aircraft share the airspace … We’ve been lucky to have never before had an incident like this happen,” he added.In May 2024 there was nearly a collision between an American Airlines jet and a small ...