New from @theaircurrent.com TAC/Intel -- FAA spox confirms that the already-delayed move of employees to DOT building is underway: theaircurrent.com/intel/faa-co...

Inside the Debacle That Led to the Closure of El Paso’s Airspace (via @nytimes.com) www.nytimes.com/2026/02/14/u...

NEWS: Democrats have blocked a DHS funding bill in the Senate, largely putting the Department on track to shutdown tomorrow at midnight. Among those impacted are TSA agents who will be forced to work without pay.

NTSB Chair today references 2013 near midair collision that was nearly identical to series of events that led up to the Jan. 2025 crash near DCA airport which killed 67 people. This 2013 event was reported by @theaircurrent.com in December: theaircurrent.com/aviation-saf...

"You can't put a price tag on life," NTSB chair says to a Senate cmte. Yet, as @theaircurrent.com the FAA has been forced to for years as it conducts safety rulemaking. Background here: theaircurrent.com/aviation-saf...

NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy in front of the U.S. Senate: "What happened at DCA can happen anywhere in our airspace."

Bombardier CEO Eric Martel says on an earnings call that Bombardier is "not involved" in negotiations w/r/t the Canada de-certification matter. He saw Trump's move as a "threat" to the business but was encouraged by FAA chief Bedford's comments yesterday that CA Gulfstream cert was "tracking."

I rest my case:

Statements here from El Paso officials, who blame FAA for lack of communication and coordination on TFRs. Though I'm not defending this lack of communication, a reminder that the FAA *does* have absolute authority over the national airspace system, per 14 CFR. www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-QR...

Via @thedewline.bsky.social, a Marine Corps Osprey made an emergency landing on Feb. 3 due to a gearbox crack: aviationweek.com/defense/budg... Context: theaircurrent.com/aviation-saf...

One immediate takeaway from the El Paso stuff: This wasn’t exactly the same as the NJ drone situation but it does make you appreciate how poorly the U.S. is equipped to deal with drone incursions of any kind. Both from an alerting perspective and also from a public perception / narrative POV.

Just like that, it’s over!

Inbox: new progress report from the FAA on ATC modernization

The Air Current is always looking for great journalists to expand our coverage of aviation, aerospace, defense, manufacturing, and everything adjacent. If you're curious what that might look and feel like for your next act, please reach out.

Just sickened by the destruction taking place at the Washington Post today. To our friends at WaPo affected by the layoffs, I'm so sorry. I've been there and I know this pain and uncertainty.

FAA chief Bryan Bedford in Singapore on Canadian aircraft de-cert threat: "Our concern is whether or not sufficient resources are being applied to U.S. products equal to the resources that we're applying to certify foreign products. So we just want a level playing field.”

Breaking: Senate passes its funding deal that includes $ for FAA and DOT, but not before averting a government shutdown given that the legislation must clear the House as well. Funds expire at midnight but House members are not expected back in D.C. until Monday night.

Just one example of the relevant, timely information you get as a subscriber to @theaircurrent.com (this graf is behind our paywall):

UPDATED STORY on Canada decertification threat: Contradicting Trump, White House claims de-cert threat won’t impact Canadian-made aircraft in service (via @theaircurrent.com) theaircurrent.com/feed/dispatc...

NEWS: Trump threatens ‘decertification’ of ‘all’ Canadian-made aircraft This is a developing story and will be updated. via @theaircurrent.com: theaircurrent.com/feed/dispatc...

Trade organizations have again ramped up asks to Congress to pay controllers during shutdowns as we tumble towards a funding lapse as soon as tomorrow night.

He Lost His Parents in a Plane Crash. Next Week He’ll Skate at the Olympics. (via @nytimes.com) www.nytimes.com/2026/01/29/u...

NEWS from D.C. crash memorial. Alexandria Mayor announces the city will create a memorial for the 67 people who perished in the Jan. 2025 crash at a site near the Potomac River, recognizing each person individually.

Here's the full probable cause and list of findings/recommendations from the NTSB's investigation into the Jan. 2025 D.C. midair collision. www.ntsb.gov/investigatio...

Three reflections on today now that the DCA hearing is over: 1) it’s remarkable the NTSB finished this investigation in < a year. It used to regularly take them 2+ years to get a big accident report done, let alone what Homendy called the “most complex” investigation in the last two decades.

BREAKING: The NTSB issues 50 total safety recommendations to the FAA, Department of Defense and other entities as the D.C. midair crash investigation comes to a close. via @theaircurrent.com theaircurrent.com/intel/ntsb-i...

News -- Dem. Senators re-introduce bill that would require FAA to amend the FAA's safety management system as the NTSB wraps up its DCA crash investigation.

In a rare scolding, Homendy flames colleague Member Todd Inman for providing amendments to report findings at 5pm the day before the hearing. She says the NTSB is a safety organization and therefore should provide enough time for staff to get sleep each day. "Its not right."

Homendy (again) blasts FAA over its failure to mandate ADS-B in over the last three decades, saying this lack of technology in the cockpit is like "having a conversation with a wall." Background from @theaircurrent.com: theaircurrent.com/aviation-pol...

NTSB investigators confirm reporting from @theaircurrent.com in December that suggested the Army pilots had likely misidentified the CRJ in the moments prior to the midair collision: theaircurrent.com/aviation-safety/dca-crash-jan-29-special-report/

Stunningly, Member Inman reveals that the FAA did not conduct this testing of involved controllers -- also against its own policies -- for the fatal crash of a UPS MD-11 in Louisville, Kentucky late last year. "They're not learning a lesson," he said of the FAA.

Homendy blasts FAA, alleges that it knowingly did not provide the correct witness for last year's hearing concerning the reviews of aeronautical charts, a duty it has as a party to the investigation.

Homendy asks the $1 million question: how is it that no one at FAA could tell there was a min of 75 ft separation between these two routes? Here's a handy graphic from @theaircurrent.com on this critical issue:

For just the ATC side of things, I count at least 15 recommendations the Board is making here -- 14 to FAA, 1 to DOT (rough count). We don't know the specific wording of these recs yet (that will come later) but its indicative of the massive rec list the investigation will produce.

Investigators reveal that post-accident alcohol testing of air traffic controllers was not conducted, despite being required. They said this was due to staff's "inadequate" knowledge of DOT procedures on this topic.

The conflict alert (CA) inside the DCA tower first activated 26 seconds before the collision, when the two aircraft were about 1.6 miles apart. The CA is a loud beeping sound that can be heard throughout the tower cab, but NTSB documents showed controllers felt these alerts were often incorrect.

The NTSB just played two visual simulations from the POV of both the CRJ and the Black Hawk. The pictures are harrowing and remarkable in that its nearly impossible to tell the location of either aircraft with your naked eye against cultural lighting, stars, and other traffic.

NTSB Chair Homendy says that the staff's reading of the Board's findings, probable cause and draft recommendations will alone take *over an hour* -- and that does not include the time it will take to deliberate and vote.

NTSB Chair Homendy: "What we refer to as human error is in reality, the last event in the causal chain immediately proceeding a crash or accident."

Member Graham: "There will be some times where individual errors may be noted throughout the course of the day in relation to this accident. But I want to make it crystal clear any individual shortcomings were set up for failure by the systems around them."

Follow along here and on @theaircurrent.com today as the investigation into one of the worst aviation tragedies in years comes to an end. I’ll be live blogging from the hearing room all day.

21 Ideas to Remake Dulles (via @byerussell.com) Ned read 21 proposals to remake Washington Dulles airport so you don't have to! Look at that imagery... byerussell.substack.com/p/21-ideas-t...

NEWS: The FAA has moved to codify existing helicopter restrictions around DCA airport into law, according to a new interim final rule posted today. via @theaircurrent.com theaircurrent.com/feed/dispatc...

FAA chief Bryan Bedford says his agency is converting 150 communications lines from copper to fiber wire per month as a part of the Trump admin’s ATC modernization plan

New from me: Jeppesen ForeFlight CEO cites automation and AI in justification for layoffs A tumultuous week for a company many pilots know very well. Read more on @theaircurrent.com: theaircurrent.com/feed/dispatc...

Analysis: Who is Peraton? And what did they sign up for as lead contractor of the Trump admin's effort to modernize air traffic control? These are questions I attempt to answer in my latest for @theaircurrent.com: theaircurrent.com/air-traffic-...

Remarkable snapshot from the DOT inspector general of FAA inspectors on the ground at United Airlines. Outsize support on 737 fleet is indicative of the challenges that plane has faced over the last decade.

BREAKING: FAA officially warns operators of risks associated with falling debris from faulty space launches, something it says “could significantly reduce safety.” via @theaircurrent.com theaircurrent.com/feed/dispatc...

Just to really put a very fine point on it. As we note on this chart, 75 feet is less than the wingspan of this CRJ700.

For the last few months, I've been working on a story about January's crash near Washington, D.C. What I learned was that it was simply an accident waiting to happen. Special Report: The night everything at DCA finally went wrong (via @theaircurrent.com) theaircurrent.com/aviation-saf...