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US FAA head to face questions from lawmakers after agency cited in fatal air collision

By Reuters Reuters
FILE PHOTO: A sign marks the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Boston Air Route Traffic Control Center, where air traffic controllers continue to work during the U.S. government shutdown, in Nashua, New Hampshire, U.S., October 9, 2025. REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A sign marks the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Boston Air Route Traffic Control Center, where air traffic controllers continue to work during the U.S. government shutdown, in Nashua, New Hampshire, U.S., October 9, 2025. REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File Photo Brian Snyder Reuters

WASHINGTON - The head of the Federal Aviation Administration will face questions on Capitol Hill on May 19 after a report found systemic failures by the agency led to a devastating mid-air collision that killed 67 people last year.

The January 2025 collision between an American Airlines regional jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport was the deadliest U.S. aviation disaster in more than two decades. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford will appear before a Senate aviation subcommittee to answer questions about the agency's efforts to address a series of NTSB recommendations.

(Reporting by David Shepardson)

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect.

This story was originally published May 6, 2026 at 11:29 AM.

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