THE deadly American Airlines crash follows a flurry of near-misses and smashes at Washington DC's Ronald Reagan National Airport - including a 1982 crash that killed 78 people. President Donald Trump confirmed all 67 people had died after a jet and an Army helicopter collided midair and then plunged into the Potomac River in DC on Wednesday night. Reagan's airspace is often filled with various domestic flights as well as military aircraft that operate terrifyingly close together on a daily basis.

A mere 24 hours before the collision on Wednesday, another jet tried to land but had to make a second approach after a helicopter appeared near its flight path, according to an air traffic control audio recording. Other recent incidents at the airport include a near-collision in May 2024 that involved an American Airlines plane that was cleared for takeoff - just as an incoming King Air plane had been cleared for landing on a nearby runway.

And a month prior, another chilling close call occurred between JetBlue and Southwest planes that were close-to-collision on a runway. The Reagan airport, in 2024 alone, experienced at least eight near-midair collisions, according to Federal Aviation Administration data seen by the The New York Times. The FAA has frequently warned that such a shortage of air-traffic controllers along the eastern seaboard has forced it to limit the amount of flights it can allow through the area.

In a press conference, Senator Mark Warner said on Thursday: "We have raised this issue continuously; we've got very busy airspace.". In January 1982, the airport became a scene of despair after an Air Florida Flight 90, a Boeing 737, took off before plummeting to the ground - hitting the 14th Street bridge before smashing through the icy Potomac River. The tragedy left 78 people dead, with out of the 79 on board the flight, only five survived, and on the ground four people were killed in vehicles on the struck bridge.

The National Transportation Safety Board said following the crash that numerous errors had been made by airline staff, contributing to its downfall. The Government Accountability Office said in a 2021 report that there were a whopping 88,000 helicopter flights within 30 miles of Reagan - including about 33,000 military flights, over a three-year-period until in 2019, Reuters reports. And lawmakers have recently lobbies for expansion of the perimeters of the airport to allow additional flights to arrive and depart.

In 2023, it was proposed to add 28 round-trip flights a day out of the airport. The already concerned FAA warned at the time that adding these extra flights would put pressure on the system, according to The New York Times. Following the terrifying near-miss in May 2024, Senator Tim Kaine said while speaking in Congress: "Thank God a collision and catastrophe was averted. "But more and more planes on this busiest runway in the United States is just going to increase the chance of a significant incident.".

The Coalition to Protect America's Regional Airports also said: "[Reagan] is currently at capacity and at risk of being seriously overburdened should there be changes to the slot and perimeter rules. "Moreover, any changes to the slot and perimeter rules threaten to undermine the access of regional airports and their communities to the DC area, as well as increase delays, traffic, congestion and noise, and safety concerns.".

Wednesday's crash was preventable, according to Transport Secretary Sean Duffy. He said: "I would say that the helicopter was aware that the plane was in the area. "We are going to wait for all the information to come in from this vantage point, but what I’ve seen so far, do I think this was preventable? Absolutely.". President Trump earlier questioned how the smash happened on a “clear night” and also said the crash "should have been prevented".

By Georgie English, Foreign News Reporter. PRESIDENT Donald Trump started his White House address to the nation with a moments silence to honor those who died in the American Airlines crash. Trump labelled the aviation accident a "real tragedy" as he said America is now going through an "hour or anguish". Following on from comments from officials at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport earlier today, Trump said he believes there are no survivors.

"This was a dark and excruciating night in our nation’s capital and in our nation’s history, and a tragedy of terrible proportions," the new president added. "As one nation we grieve for every precious soul that has been taken from us so suddenly.". Trump then started to hit out at the two former leaders of the US and his Democratic rivals Joe Biden and Barack Obama. He said: "I put safety first. Obama, Biden and the Democrats put policy first.".