?(Image from NTSB)NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy warned that the Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) could be at risk for a midair collision during Tuesday’s NTSB congressional hearing.
The hearing was part of the NTSB’s investigation into the 2025 midair collision near the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) between a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ 700 and a Sikorsky UH-60 Army Helicopter that killed all 67 people on board. Homendy warned that commercial airline operators at BUR have repeatedly raised concerns about the risk of aircraft colliding. BUR is a medium-sized airport with short runways, a tight airspace and a high volume of mixed helicopter and airplane traffic, according to MSN.
“I keep hearing about other areas in the airspace where they’re concerned,” said Homendy. “Burbank is one where commercial airlines have called me to say the next mid-air is going to be at Burbank, and nobody at the FAA is paying attention to us. So whether it is involving helicopters or not, people are raising red flags, and why aren’t people listening? The FAA has to ensure safety. That is their job.”
There have been six reported near midair collisions at Burbank Airport since Jan. 1, 2021, according to Avweb.
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“The safety of our guests, staff, tenants and all stakeholders while they are at Hollywood Burbank Airport is our top priority,” said BUR in a statement on Wednesday. “Once our passengers are in planes that are taxiing and in flight (arriving or departing), safety is top priority for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Safety issues related to passengers, crews and aircraft while they occupy airspace are under the jurisdiction of the FAA.”
The FAA responded in a statement that the airport is a safety hotspot and that it has been working to help alleviate the risks since the collision. The FAA lowered the Van Nuys traffic pattern by 200 feet to see if that would reduce conflicts with aircraft landing at Burbank and claimed that data shows a reduction of Traffic Collision Avoidance System alerts for arrivals to the airport.
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