God forbid waking up and looking in a mirror one day and say, ‘Wow, I was warned. I was warned and I shouldn’t have done this,’” Kaine said in 2024.

Rep. Troy Nehls told The Post that Federal Aviation Administration officials had known about the “staffing issues” and that the air traffic controller involved was “not only

An airspace cluttered with passenger planes and military aircraft. A history of near-crashes. And a growing shortage of air traffic controllers available to manage it all. Some experts, politicians and airport managers have been warning for years of the risks posed by the crowded airspace and volume of flights at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).

Before the additional flights were approved, a senator warned that the increase could heighten the risk of collisions.

Wednesday’s crash has resurfaced concerns about the airport’s proximity to the river, narrow landing space and overcrowding. Despite the geographic and logistical challenges, Congress authorized 10 additional “slots,” or flights, to DCA’s daily flight schedule.