Families of the victims of a January plane and helicopter crash at Reagan National Airport (DCA) expressed their dissatisfaction with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) after discovering that the airport has made nearly 1,500 mistakes over the past three years.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) preliminary report was released at the Senate Subcommittee on Aviation, Space and Innovation Hearings on Thursday. The victim’s family and their attorneys alleged that the NTSB findings suggested that fatal conflicts were preventable.

“I was surprised at the expiration of safety protocols that led to this crash,” said Daily Crafton, brother of Casey Clafton, who died in an American Airlines jet that crashed onto an Army helicopter, after the hearing.

Casey Crafton was one of 67 people who died in the collision between American Airlines Flight 5342 and the Army Black Hawk on January 29th.

“Specifically, certain safety measures that could have been simply implemented since the crash have not yet been so. Accountability has not yet been taken by the responsible parties,” Clafton said in a statement obtained by the Daily Caller.

Members of the Airlines Subcommittee appealed to NTSB Chairman Jennifer Homendi over the agency’s preliminary report on the case.

The report discovered more than 15,000 near misses at Ronald Reagan Washington International Airport (DCA), which occurred in January between 2021 and 2024, Homendy testified.

.@ntsb chair @jenniferhomendy: “Between October 2021 and December 2024, there were over 15,000 close proximity events between DCA commercial aircraft and helicopters.” pic.twitter.com/powwf8mtqk

– cspan (@cspan) March 27, 2025

Homedy also testified that the information was readily available to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) prior to crash. (Related: “Waiting for an accident to happen”: The Fed ignored DC Death Strap for years despite dozens of near misses on planes and choppers)

“Not being able to share details about crashes near the air, or conduct a trend analysis of the history of such incidents, or take action to address many other outbreaks, is entirely unacceptable,” said Tracy Brammeier, a partner representing the families of crash victims, in a statement provided to the caller.

“All entities that have not taken action must be held accountable to the victim’s family and the flying public,” concluded Brameer.

Brammeier’s company has filed pre-case claims with the federal government for the case for up to $250 million.

“This crash should not just happen,” Robert A. Clifford, founder and senior partner of the Clifford Law office, said in a statement.

“The pain these families have to go through is a tragedy, as those in the right position of authority didn’t bother them to do anything about what was happening in the DCA until it was too late,” Clifford continued.

Once the mandatory six-month waiting period ends, Clifford will file a complaint with the FAA and the Army. Other families are pursuing similar claims with the help of DC-based injury company Regan Zambri Long. (Related: Family members of DCA crash victims pursue negligence claims against the FAA, US military)

“To wake up to the statistics needed to make the airline safe, we took the lives of 67 innocent people,” Clifford said. He also blown up FAA acting manager Chris Rocheroe and U.S. Army Aviation Director Brigadier General Matthew Braman on Thursday for “future” testimony.

Clifford said “we did our best to obfuscate the information provided to the committee. They were unable to accept responsibility and accountability for this unnecessary tragedy and thousands of other unfavourable experiences that could lead to additional disasters.”

Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz pressed his approval that three-quarters of their mission rehearsal preparations were run with the transponder turned off.

“I think it’s shocking and deeply unacceptable,” Cruz told him.

“If the Army chooses not to do so, I have a high level of confidence that Congress will pass the law, requiring you to revisit the policy,” Cruz told him.

Cruz also alleged that Braman’s office refused to provide access to policy notes as requested by Cruz’s office. When Cruz pushes him to commit to sharing the notes, Braman said he promises to “review the information and get what we can do for you.”

“The answer must be yes. I will provide that note to the committee,” Cruz said.

.@sentedcruz To Brigadier General Matthew Braman, Director of the Army Aviation Bureau on Policy: “I think it’s shocking and deeply unacceptable… If another accident occurs today via another helicopter and DCA, the Army will be very directly responsible for it.” pic.twitter.com/0zxsokamcq

– cspan (@cspan) March 27, 2025

For families like Crafton’s, they hope that increasing pressure and media attention will help people keep their lost loved ones in mind. “He was such a gifter and he left a better person who everyone in his life knew him,” Daily Clafton said of his brother.

“He is overlooked by so many people and is considered too early by all of us. There is a huge void in all of our lives that we cannot fulfill.”