An American Airways aircraft takes off as a salvage barge with a crane is positioned close to the crash web site alongside the Potomac River after a passenger jet collided with a helicopter whereas touchdown at Ronald Reagan Washington Nationwide Airport (DCA) in Arlington, Virginia, US, on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025.
Al Drago | Bloomberg | Getty Photos
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy mentioned he spoke with Trump administration advisor and CEO of SpaceX Elon Musk about reforming the nation’s airspace and raised issues concerning the navy’s use of helicopters in Washington, D.C.’s crowded airspace after a lethal collision final week.
“I had a dialog with Elon Musk yesterday, fairly outstanding man. He thinks in a different way than I believe most likely loads of us do, however he has entry to one of the best technological folks, one of the best engineers on the planet,” Duffy mentioned Wednesday at a roadway transportation occasion in Washington. “We’ll remake our airspace, and we’ll do it rapidly.”
Duffy’s feedback come every week after an Military Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airways regional jetliner that was moments away from touchdown at Ronald Reagan Washington Nationwide Airport. All 64 folks on the American flight and the three navy crew on the Black Hawk, which was on a coaching mission, had been killed. It was the deadliest airline accident in the US since 2001.
Trump has tasked Musk with operating the so-called Division of Authorities Effectivity, which has acquired entry to such knowledge because the Treasury Division’s fee programs. Musk did not instantly reply to a request for remark.
SpaceX, together with different area firms, shares airspace with industrial airplanes. Final month, a Starship rocket suffered an inflight failure that resulted in a discipline of particles raining down close to Caribbean islands and inflicting dozens of economic flights to divert or delay to keep away from the world.
U.S. airline executives have for years referred to as for added funding for the modernization of U.S. air visitors management programs and extra hiring of air visitors controllers to stem a yearslong scarcity.
Duffy did not elaborate on the potential modifications to U.S. airspace administration.
Duffy mentioned that one air visitors controller was dealing with each airplane and helicopter visitors on the time of the crash and that he’ll “have a look at the insurance policies and the procedures contained in the tower.”
“We’ll pull that authority again to be sure that we now have the suitable insurance policies in place inside our towers to verify while you fly, you are secure,” he mentioned.
Duffy mentioned officers want to take a look at the security of conducting navy coaching missions at evening.
“And if we now have generals who’re flying in helicopters for comfort via this airspace, that is not acceptable,” he mentioned. “Get in a rattling Suburban and drive. You need not take a helicopter.”
The U.S. Military did not instantly remark. The Pentagon declined to remark.
The Nationwide Transportation Security Board, which is main the investigation into final week’s crash, continues to be probing the reason for the lethal collision.
— CNBC’s Michael Sheetz contributed to this report.