As the high-stakes investigative hearing into January’s deadly mid-air collision between a U.S. Army helicopter and an American Airlines passenger jet continues, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chair Jennifer Homendy publicly rebuked a federal supervisor for allegedly elbowing a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employee during live testimony.
“Me, members of the audience, NTSB staff and members watching virtually had all reported that one of the supervisors had elbowed an FAA employee mid-sentence,” Homendy said Thursday, July 31.
Although she refrained from speculating on the motive behind the gesture, Homendy emphasized its chilling effect: the employee immediately stopped speaking.
The specifics of the incident—such as the exact timing or the identities involved—remained unclear.
“We want people to feel fully transparent and feel safe in providing us answers,” Homendy added.
She announced that, following the lunch break, the seating arrangement for panelists would be adjusted. “I’m not gonna put up with that,” she declared.
The tense moment underscored a day already marked by intense scrutiny and growing alarm over systemic issues potentially linked to the Jan. 29 crash near Ronald Reagan National Airport. The tragedy claimed the lives of 67 people when an American Airlines regional aircraft and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter collided mid-air.
Thursday’s hearing centered largely on staffing challenges at the airport’s air traffic control tower. The atmosphere remained contentious, filled with sharp exchanges and conflicting perspectives.
Just a day earlier, Homendy had sharply criticized the FAA for taking six months to deliver requested staffing data related to the tower.
When Nick Fuller, the FAA’s acting deputy chief operations officer, claimed that the agency had provided the “latest and greatest” information on Wednesday, Homendy pushed back forcefully.
“You transferred people out instead of taking ownership of the fact that everyone in FAA in the FAA tower was saying there was a problem,” she said. “But you guys are pointing out, ‘Welp, our bureaucratic process. Somebody should have brought it up at some other symposium.’ Are you kidding me? 67 people are dead. How do you explain that?”
Pointing to the more than two dozen bureaucratic steps required to implement a policy change, she concluded: “Fix it. Do better.”
Earlier this year, the agency’s preliminary report highlighted widespread safety concerns. Investigators documented thousands of close-call incidents at the airport in recent years—most occurring during landings.
Between October 2021 and December 2024, there were 15,214 reported cases of aircraft or helicopters coming within 400 feet of each other, the report revealed.
The NTSB hearings are set to continue on Friday, Aug. 1.
