NTSB chairwoman says reviewing the data after midair crash may prevent the next aviation accident

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NTSB chairwoman says reviewing the data after midair crash may prevent the next aviation accident

2025-03-27 04:44 Last Updated At：04:51

Someone should have spotted the alarming number of near misses in the skies over the nation's capital before the fatal midair collision that killed 67 people in January, and reviewing the data now could prevent future crashes, according to the head of the agency investigating the crash.

National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy emphasized to Congress Wednesday that the Federal Aviation Administration had data going back to 2011 showing that collision alarms were sounding inside cockpits at least once a month because of how close the planes were getting to helicopters. But the FAA didn't act, she said.

“All this data is being collected by FAA from operators, from others, from voluntary reporting systems. Where is that data going to trend potential accidents and incidents in the future?” Homendy said during a hearing on her agency's budget. “The next accident is in the data right now. And what are we doing to figure out what that is?”

The Senate is planning another hearing Thursday to delve deeper into what the NTSB has found so far about the Jan. 29 midair collision between an American Airlines passenger jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter near Washington, D.C., Ronald Reagan National Airport. Homendy and the leaders of the FAA and Army's aviation division will all testify.

Former NTSB Chairman Jim Hall said the FAA clearly should have been doing more with the information it has on hand from airlines, pilots and air traffic controllers to spot safety threats. The crash investigation will likely determine why that didn't happen effectively.

“The question remains whether it was politics or oversight that permitted that situation at Washington, D.C., to continue as long as it did and take the lives of those people that were tragically taken in that accident,” Hall said.

Both Homendy and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said earlier this month when NTSB first disclosed the shocking statistics that they were angry that the FAA didn't recognize the dangers before this crash after 85 near misses in the past three years when aircraft flew within a few hundred feet (meters) of each other.

The FAA promptly launched a review of all its data after the NTSB briefing to try to identify any similar safety threats, particularly in eight cities with heavy helicopter traffic. The FAA said Wednesday that analysis continues.

That review — aided by artificial intelligence and machine learning — is focused on airports in Boston, New York, Baltimore-Washington, Detroit, Chicago, Dallas, Houston and Los Angeles and the heavy helicopter traffic off the Gulf Coast. The FAA hasn't said whether it has found anything yet, but the agency promised it “will have corrective action plans for any risks that are identified.”

In the meantime, the FAA quickly adopted the NTSB's recommendation to permanently close off a particular helicopter route near Reagan anytime planes are taking off or landing on the airport's runway 33 that the jetliner was approaching in January when the collision happened. If a helicopter does need to use that route for an urgent reason, no planes will be allowed to take off or land. That should ensure that planes and helicopters are no longer sharing the same airspace near the airport, officials said.

“The FAA will continue to closely support the NTSB-led investigation and take action as necessary to ensure public safety,” the agency said in a statement.

Homendy declined Wednesday to address President Donald Trump's comments right after the crash suggesting that diversity and inclusion policies at the FAA may have contributed to it because the NTSB investigation isn't complete. A final report identifying the cause isn't expected for more than year. Trump also faulted the helicopter for flying too high and later suggested that an “obsolete” air traffic control system was the problem.

New Jersey Democrat Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman said it is important to refute those diversity comments now because nothing has been found so far to support them, and she doesn't want the public to get the idea that diversity is the problem.

“On the contrary, loyalty and sycophants seems to be the order of the day, and it’s definitely negatively impacting this federal government doing its job,” Watson Coleman said during the hearing.

Federal officials have been raising concerns about an overtaxed and understaffed air traffic control system for years, especially after a series of close calls at airports.

The NTSB previously said the helicopter may have had inaccurate altitude readings in the moments before the crash, and the crew may not have heard key instructions from air traffic controllers. The helicopter was at 278 feet (85 meters) at the time of the collision, which would put it above its 200-foot (61-meter) limit for that location.

The collision was the deadliest plane crash in the U.S. since 2001, when a jet slammed into a New York City neighborhood just after takeoff, killing all 260 people on board and five more on the ground.

Richard Chamberlain, TV actor who starred in 'Dr. Kildare,' dies at 90

2025-03-31 00:39 Last Updated At：00:40

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Richard Chamberlain, the handsome hero of the 1960s television series "Dr. Kildare" who found a second career as an award-winning "king of the miniseries," has died. He was 90.

Chamberlain died Saturday night in Waimanalo, Hawaii, of complications following a stroke, according to his publicist, Harlan Boll.

“Our beloved Richard is with the angels now. He is free and soaring to those loved ones before us," Martin Rabbett, his lifelong partner, said in a statement. "How blessed were we to have known such an amazing and loving soul. Love never dies. And our love is under his wings lifting him to his next great adventure.”

Tall, with classic good looks and romantic style, Chamberlain became an instant favorite with teenage girls as the compassionate physician on the TV series that aired from 1961 to 1966. Photoplay magazine named him most popular male star for three years in a row, from 1963-65.

Not until 2003 did he acknowledge publicly what Hollywood insiders had long known, that he was gay. He made the revelation in his autobiography, "Shattered Love."

The actor became known as "king of the TV miniseries" in 1978 when he landed the starring role in "Centennial," an epic production 24 hours long and based on James Michener's sprawling novel. He followed that in 1980 with "Shogun," another costly, epic miniseries based on James Clavell's period piece about an American visitor to Japan.

He scored his greatest miniseries success in 1983 with another long-form drama, "The Thorn Birds," based on Colleen McCullough's best-seller. He played Father Ralph de Bricassart, a Roman Catholic priest in Australia who falls in love with beautiful Meggie Cleary (Rachel Ward). The ABC production, which also starred Barbara Stanwyck, reportedly attracted 100 million viewers.

Chamberlain won Golden Globes for his work in “Shogun" and “The Thorn Birds.” Years earlier, he received one for “Dr. Kildare.”

When the public began to lose interest in miniseries, Chamberlain turned to the theater, where he displayed a fine singing voice. He appeared as Henry Higgins in a 1994 Broadway revival of "My Fair Lady" and as Captain von Trapp in a 1999 revival of "The Sound of Music."

He reprised his role of de Bricassart in the 1996 TV movie "The Thorn Birds: The Missing Years."

He also appeared in numerous films, including "The Music Lovers" (as Tchaikovsky), "The Madwoman of Chaillot," "The Towering Inferno" and "The Three Musketeers" and its sequels.

The "Kildare" series was based on a string of successful 1930s and '40s films that had starred Lew Ayres in the title role.

Chamberlain's hunky, all-American appearance made him an overnight star. Another medical show that debuted the same season, "Ben Casey," also was a smash and made its leading man, the darkly handsome Vince Edwards, a star, too.

The "Ben Casey shirt" became a fashion item, both shows' theme songs made the pop Top 40 (the Kildare song performed by Chamberlain himself) and there was even a pop song called "Dr. Kildare! Dr. Casey! You Are Wanted for Consultation."

But in his book, Chamberlain recounted how he was forced to hide his sexuality. He would escort glamorous actresses to movie premieres and other public events at the request of studio executives and dodge reporters' questions about why he had never married with a stock reply: "Getting married would be great, but I'm awfully busy now."

"When I grew up, being gay, being a sissy or anything like that was verboten," he said in an NBC interview. "I disliked myself intensely and feared this part of myself intensely and had to hide it."

The book also described a troubled childhood and an alcoholic father, and Chamberlain said that writing it finally lifted a heavy emotional burden. He also expressed relief that he was no longer hiding his sexuality.

"I played a cat-and-mouse game with the press. Game over," said Chamberlain.

Born George Richard Chamberlain in Beverly Hills on March 31, 1934, the actor originally studied at Pomona College to be a painter. But after returning from the Army, where he had served as an infantry clerk in the Korean War, Chamberlain decided to try acting.

He studied voice and drama, and after appearing in guest roles in a handful of TV shows and in the 1960 film "The Secret of the Purple Reef," he won the Dr. Kildare role.

When “Dr. Kildare” was canceled he initially found it difficult to shake the image of the handsome young physician.

He moved to England for a time to find work and hone his acting skills. While there, he appeared in three of director Richard Lester’s films, “Petulia” (1968), “The Three Musketeers” (1973) and “The Four Musketeers” (1974). He reunited with Lester in 1989 for “The Return of the Musketeers,” once more playing Aramis.

In 1969, Chamberlain played the title role in “Hamlet” at England’s Birmingham Repertory Company and repeated it in a TV adaptation that appeared on NBC in the United States. He also appeared as Octavius in a film version of “Julius Caesar,” which co-starred Charlton Heston and Jason Robards.

He continued to act well into the 21st century, appearing on such television shows as “Will & Grace,” “The Drew Carey Show” and “Touched by an Angel.”

Bob Thomas, a longtime Associated Press journalist who died in 2014, was the principal writer of this obituary.