FAA officials weighed closing D.C. airport runway after close calls, sources say
Top officials at the Federal Aviation Administration, including then-Administrator Michael Whitaker, pushed last summer to close one of three runways at Washington's Reagan National Airport following two close calls between airliners still on the ground, multiple sources told CBS News.
Whitaker, who resigned as FAA administrator ahead of the transition to the Trump administration, and others at the FAA wanted to close Runway 4 to traffic following an incident in April and another about six weeks later in late May.
On April 18, there was a close call between Southwest Flight 2937 to Orlando and JetBlue Flight 1554 to Boston. The Southwest Boeing 737 was told to cross Runway 4 at the same time as the JetBlue Embraer 190 was cleared to take off from the same runway. Air traffic controllers ordered both planes to stop, but they came within approximately 300 feet of colliding.
On May 29, there was another concerning incident at the airport. American Airlines Flight 2134, an Airbus A319 cleared to take off for Boston, was forced to hit the brakes because a private King Air aircraft was cleared to land on an intersecting runway.
Air traffic controllers caught the issue, telling the American flight to stop its takeoff roll — the plane was going about 92 mph at this point — and ordering the King Air to go around, but it had already landed. The American flight had 128 passengers and five crew members on board.
The move to close the runway received notable pushback and included an argument that closing it would cause additional burdens on Runway 33 — the runway American Flight 5342 was supposed to land on last Wednesday, when it and an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided in midair, killing 67 people.
According to an impact statement reviewed by CBS News, "Runway 04 has the added benefit of not needing to cross any runways to reach. If Runway 04 is removed, Runway 33 usage will increase. In order to get to Runway 33, Ground must cross both Runway 01 and Runway 04 while traffic is holding in position waiting to depart and traffic is approaching a 2 mile final to Runway 01."
The FAA told CBS News in a statement: "Following the May 29, 2024, close call incident at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), the FAA took action on May 31, 2024, by temporarily pausing flights on runway 4 at DCA, which is a limited-use runway used by small regional carriers, while we examined the complexity of multiple intersecting runways."
Reagan National has three runways currently in use, according to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which operates the airport. Runway 1/19, the primary runway, is 7,169 feet long. Runway 15/33 is 5,204 feet long while Runway 4/22 is 5,000 feet long.
Because of its short length, Runway 4 is used infrequently and requires additional coordination with air traffic control. It is restricted to smaller aircraft landings — primarily regional jets like the Bombardier CRJ700 and CRJ900 and the Embraer 170 or E-190 airliners. Only about one-fifth of the airport's 407 daily departures are estimated to be eligible to use Runway 4. Instead, it's more commonly used as a taxiway to get around the congested airfield.
The focus on congestion at Reagan National has been ongoing in recent months after the airport authority and several area lawmakers, including Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, came out against an effort to add additional flights to the capacity-restricted airport last year. The FAA pushed back against a report calling for additional flights to be added at Reagan citing existing airport congestion issues.
Ultimately Congress opted to move ahead with adding five additional long distance flights.
"The slabs are federally controlled, federally mandated, and we have to follow federal regulations," Terry Liercke, a vice president for the airport authority and airport manager for Reagan National, told reporters Friday.
Officials with the airport authority declined to directly address congestion concerns following last week's collision.
"The United States airspace is the safest in the world. Safety is our, one of our top priorities, and we continue to ensure that the airport is safe for operations," Liercke said in response to a reporter's questions Friday. "... We work with the FAA. We are regulated by the FAA. We comply with all FAA safety regulations."
Reagan is one of three capacity-controlled airports in the United States. It's sometimes referred to as slot-controlled, where each slot is a takeoff or a landing. A new route typically requires a slot pair. Since 2000, Congress has added 64 such slot pairs at Reagan, which would support an additional 32 flight routes every day.
Arab-Americans who voted for Trump react to Gaza takeover plan
Concern DOGE could stop Social Security, Medicare payments
Netanyahu's response on U.S. soldiers in Gaza for Trump's plan
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
40 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Democrat-controlled budget office wrongly analyzed Trump's big bill, missed record savings, White House says
The White House is challenging the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office's assessment that President Donald Trump's sweeping tax and spending package will raise the federal deficit by trillions of dollars throughout the next decade. The national debt, currently $36.2 trillion, tracks what the U.S. owes its creditors, while the national deficit measures how much the federal government's spending exceeds its revenues. So far, the federal government has spent more than $1 trillion more than it has collected this fiscal year, according to the Department of the Treasury. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) issued an analysis Wednesday predicting that the so-called "big, beautiful, bill" the House passed in May would increase the federal deficit by $2.4 trillion over the next 10 years. But according to the White House, the CBO's analysis is based on a faulty premise because it assumes that Republicans in Congress will fail to extend Trump's 2017 tax cuts. Rather, the White House's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) forecasts that the tax and spending measures would independently reduce deficits by $1.4 trillion. Senate Weighs Trump's 'Big, Beautiful, Bill' As Policy Group Backs Cbo, Projects $3 Trillion Debt Increase Read On The Fox News App Additionally, the White House argues that the measure, coupled with other initiatives like tariffs and other spending cuts, will lead to reducing the deficit by at least $6.6 trillion over 10 years. The "big, beautiful, bill" has faced criticism from figures including SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who labeled the measure an "abomination" and argued that the bill would increase the federal deficit. The measure now heads to the Senate, where lawmakers, including Sen. Rand Paul, R-K.Y., have voiced opposition to the legislation. Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill' Faces Resistance From Republican Senators Over Debt Fears Meanwhile, OMB Director Russell Vought told lawmakers on the House Appropriations Committee Wednesday that he believed the CBO's analysis was "fundamentally wrong." "It will lead to reduced deficits and debt of $1.4 trillion," Vought said. "It will reduce mandatory savings of $1.7 trillion. I don't think the way they construct their baseline, not only does it not give a fair shake to economic growth, but it fundamentally misreads the economic consequences of not extending the current tax relief." Failure to pass Trump's tax package would trigger a recession, according to Vought. "We'll have a recession," Vought told lawmakers. "The economic storm clouds will be very dark. I think we'll have a 60% tax increase on the American people." Meanwhile, the White House has accused the CBO of employing those who've contributed to Democratic campaigns, even though CBO Director Phillip Swagel served in former President George W. Bush's administration. Price Tag Estimate For House Gop Tax Package Rises To $3.94T "I don't think many people know this: There hasn't been a single staffer in the entire Congressional Budget Office that has contributed to a Republican since the year 2000," Leavitt told reporters Tuesday. "But guess what, there have been many staffers within the Congressional Budget Office who have contributed to Democratic candidates and politicians every single cycle since. So unfortunately, this is an institution in our country that has become partisan and political." The CBO director is appointed according to the recommendations of the House and Senate Budget Committees. Then-Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyoming, first recommended Swagel in 2019, and then Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, recommended Swagel again in 2023. The CBO did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital on OMB's analysis or claims from the White House about the office being full of staffers who've backed Democrats. Fox News' Deirdre Heavey contributed to this report. Original article source: Democrat-controlled budget office wrongly analyzed Trump's big bill, missed record savings, White House says
Yahoo
40 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Sound Off: June 7, 2025
Sun Herald readers weigh in on local and national topics. My federal tax forms were filed on Feb. 6, and I was told the refund would take 'a few weeks.' Today is June 6, and still no refund. After repeatedly calling the 800 number, I personally drove to the local IRS office on Old Highway 49 in Gulfport. A security guard made me empty all my pockets and he frisked me. Then he sent me to the desk. The woman at the desk told me I had to call an 800 number to make an appointment. Is this any way to treat honest taxpayers? Orders and actions by the Trump Administration have been thwarted and obstructed by separate U.S. District Court judges around the country seven times in the past week alone. This was a publicly stated goal of left wing organizations during the election when it became clear that Trump would likely be elected. The American people are outraged by the blatant judicial overreach displayed by certain courts, issuing rulings far beyond their constitutional authority. This reckless abuse of power undermines the very foundation of our system of checks and balances and signals that parts of the judiciary have gone completely off the rails. If this continues unchecked, either the Supreme Court must intervene to restore order, or the people themselves will lose all confidence in the judiciary. Without accountability, even legitimate rulings on real crimes will be viewed with skepticism, threatening the rule of law itself. It matters not whether a judge is at the city level or a Supreme Court justice. Their job is to interpret the law and, ultimately, the constitution. Whether you, I or the president breaks the law, we are still subject to it and the ultimate law of the country, the constitution. I was wanting to give some information to the uninformed person who thinks law abiding citizens should be able to get full automatic weapons, since they say criminals have them. Law-abiding citizens already can get fully automatic weapons. They are just heavily regulated, limited in number, and very expensive. Criminals do not have them, and that is why we don't see them used in crimes. I apologize in advance for any harm caused by introducing facts and reality into your liberal echo chamber. The CDC says guns are the number one killer of children. Christians who claim to be pro-life need to really examine their position on gun safety regulations. How much money have you made betting on President Trump to flip-flop on tariffs? And if the answer is nothing, it's time to get on the train. Send your Sound Offs to soundoff@
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Trump loyalty is now part of job application
More than six million Americans are still looking for work, according to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Amid ongoing economic uncertainty, the federal government remains one of the country's most active employers, with open roles for nurses, actuaries, physicists, engineers and IT professionals listed at But prospective applicants may notice something different about the application process in 2025. Alongside typical questions about experience and qualifications, some federal job forms now ask about an applicant's alignment with presidential policy priorities, raising concerns about political screening in what are supposed to be nonpartisan civil service roles. Under guidance issued by the Chief Human Capital Officers Council (CHCOC), part of a broader federal hiring overhaul, applicants may be asked to explain how they would help implement specific executive orders or initiatives. One question currently being used reads: 'How would you help advance the President's Executive Orders and policy priorities in this role? Identify one or two relevant Executive Orders or policy initiatives that are significant to you, and explain how you would help implement them if hired.' This directive is connected to an executive order President Donald Trump that emphasizes 'merit-based' hiring over previous diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) considerations. The administration stated that these changes are intended to root out political bias and ensure a more ideologically aligned workforce. Critics argue that these practices resemble loyalty tests, particularly as questions of commitment to the Constitution and the President's policies appeared in job applications. Earlier this year, multiple government agencies experienced layoffs of employees who were seen as insufficiently aligned with current leadership, even in traditionally apolitical roles. Historical parallels have been raised. During the McCarthy era in the 1950s, public servants and private citizens alike were pressured to prove their loyalty to the U.S. government to root out suspected communists. Accusations and investigations often targeted personal beliefs rather than actions, leading to widespread firings, blacklisting and surveillance. Civil service roles in the U.S. were originally designed to serve the Constitution and the public, not individual officeholders. Federal employees take an oath to uphold the Constitution, a foundational distinction meant to separate American governance from monarchic or authoritarian systems. Whether the latest hiring guidelines are a temporary shift or a lasting transformation of the federal workforce remains to be seen. For now, job seekers interested in federal positions may want to prepare answers not just about their skills but about their stance on presidential policy.
