67 Dead After 16 Crash-Free Years: Takeaways From the Times Report on Aviation Safety Risks

A long safety streak ends

The system had been under mounting strain for decades, and those pressures have become acute in the nearly two years since the collision, the account says. The pilot and aviation writer behind it describes the period as new and worrying.

Runway close calls rise again

Runway incursions—dangerous close calls between aircraft on the ground—are one measure of aviation safety. After rising in 2023, such incidents dropped sharply in 2024 as the F.A.A. and airlines tightened procedures.

Incursions have climbed again since 2025. The most serious type, in which a collision is narrowly avoided, is running even higher this year than last.

Potomac crash blame disputed

The morning after the Potomac collision, President Trump blamed D.E.I. hiring practices during the Obama and Biden administrations. The National Transportation Safety Board found that overcrowding was the real culprit, according to the account.

That disagreement highlights the importance of identifying the causes of accidents and responding to them. The account presents the failure to learn from the Potomac crash as one concern among broader system vulnerabilities.