Maryland pilot explains why Reagan National Airport is tough for pilots and air traffic control
BALTIMORE -- Bill Pearce, a commercial pilot from Maryland who has worked for several major airlines, says flying in and out of Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C. is tough for pilots and air traffic control.
On Wednesday night, an American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas, with 60 passengers, crashed midair with an Army Black Hawk helicopter. Officials believe there were no survivors, marking the deadliest American aviation crash in 16 years.
"DCA is a very, very unique airport in that it is one of the biggest airports by volume of any airport in the country," Pearce told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren. "The traffic is mind-boggling. It really is a beehive of activity. It's a tough airport…for pilots and for air traffic control."
Pearce explained that this deadly crash could impact future flying in the United States.
"How aircraft communicate with other aircraft, be it military, be it civilian, I think that's going to be huge," Pearce said.
But Pearce believes the U.S. still has the safest flying in the world—and travelers should not be scared to fly—and fly out of Reagan National Airport.
"Absolutely not," Pearce said. "Everybody is going to rush to judgment. Everybody is going to Monday morning quarterback. If you look at any given time, the number of aircraft that are in the sky, it will blow your mind—thousands of aircraft and millions of people are in the air every day. No, the flying public should have no concern whatsoever."
WJZ cameras captured rescue teams at work in the Potomac River near a piece of the fuselage of American Airlines Flight 5342 as recovery efforts continued throughout the day Thursday.
Heartbreak from some of the first passengers to fly out of Reagan national airport this morning @wjz pic.twitter.com/YKoeRtFYGS
— Mike Hellgren (@HellgrenWJZ) January 30, 2025
Veteran aviation attorney on concerns
Keith Franz, a Towson-based attorney at the Azrael, Franz, Schwab, Lipowitz and Solter law firm, believes there will be changes because of the congested airspace at Reagan Airport.
"I think the biggest concern is when airports reach maximum capacity, there has to be some way to stop future expansion," Franz said. "It does take an experienced pilot to fly in and out of Reagan."
Franz says that measures must be taken and reviewed because of the potential consequences.
"It's a rare occurrence, but regrettably, if there is a mishap, it's not survivable," Franz said. "The consequences are grave."
Additionally, according to reports, a single air traffic controller was handling both planes and helicopters the night of the collision—a job normally reserved for two controllers.
Franz said the regional jet that crashed into the Potomac River is a "workhorse."
"It's highly reliable," Franz said. "It is used routinely in the U.S. This was built about 20 years ago—not particularly old for an aircraft of this nature. It has been used routinely throughout the U.S. with no problems. I don't believe they're going to find any mechanical problems with the aircraft, but judgment and awareness of the surroundings may be factors that will come into play."
Franz said families of the victims will have many questions, "The main one being why—how could this have happened? And the main answer is this is likely going to come down to some human component, some misjudgment."
Senator offers condolences
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, called for a transparent investigation and told WJZ, "This was clearly an avoidable collision."
"The public needs the confidence that all the facts are on the table and that any conclusions will be independent," Van Hollen told WJZ.
The senator also spoke about the victims.
"We've lost Marylanders. We've lost people from all over the country who were on this flight, and my heart goes out to them," he said.
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