FAA Restructures Safety Oversight After Fatal Near-Misses and Deadly Collision

The Trump administration announced on Monday a major restructuring of the Federal Aviation Administration, establishing a new safety oversight office to centralize safety functions previously spread across five units. The FAA said the overhaul is part of a strategic plan to enhance hiring, training, and hazard identification, and clarified the changes will not include workforce reductions. The announcement comes on the eve of a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) hearing in which the agency is expected to sharply criticize the FAA’s handling of repeated near-miss incidents.

Lawmakers from both parties have questioned why the FAA did not address growing safety concerns around Reagan Washington National Airport, where an Army helicopter and an American Airlines jet collided in January 2025, killing 67 people. According to the NTSB, more than 15,000 incidents involving insufficient separation between helicopters and commercial aircraft have occurred near the airport since 2021, including 85 close calls. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy has previously stated that the FAA ignored warnings about serious safety risks.

As part of the restructuring, the FAA will implement an agency-wide safety management system and risk management processes. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford, who took office in July, is overseeing a $12.5 billion rehabilitation of the U.S. air traffic control system, with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy seeking an additional $19 billion to complete the project. In recent safety actions, the FAA temporarily barred Army helicopter flights around the Pentagon following a close call on May 1 that forced civilian aircraft to abort landings, and the agency is also relocating its headquarters into the main Transportation Department office in Washington.

Pic Courtesy: google/ images are subject to copyright