Frightened airlines name the airport they fear is most at risk of next mid-air horror collision
Airline officials have named Hollywood Burbank as the airport most at risk of the next mid-air collision.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) held a hearing on January 27 after a deadly crash near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport that killed 67 people in 2025.
During that hearing, the NTSB flagged Hollywood Burbank Airport in California as having the highest risk of a similar incident.
Officials at airlines working out of Hollywood Burbank have reportedly contacted the NTSB expressing their fears, according to the Mercury News.
The small commercial airport has had six near-misses since 2021.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy criticized the FAA for failing to 'pay attention' to the red flags.
'Burbank is one where commercial airlines have called me to say the next mid-air is going to be at Burbank, and nobody at FAA is paying attention to us,' she said.
'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.'
Officials at airlines working out of Hollywood Burbank have reportedly contacted the NTSB expressing their fears
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy criticized the FAA for failing to 'pay attention' to red flags
The 2025 crash involved an American Airlines jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter.
Air traffic control said the airspace was 'a little overwhelmed' just minutes before the accident.
The FAA reportedly implemented AI tests the following month 'to identify similar hotspots with high volumes of mixed helicopter and airplane traffic and implement appropriate mitigations.'
'One of our primary focus areas was Van Nuys Airport and nearby Hollywood Burbank Airport in the Los Angeles area,' the FAA said in a statement obtained by the Daily Mail.
With Van Nuys Airport nearby, Hollywood Burbank Airport sees a high volume of traffic coming in and out of a relatively small airspace, reported ABC7.
Through their tests, the administration aimed to 'reduce conflicts with aircraft landing at Burbank.'
By lowering the Van Nuys traffic pattern by 200 feet, the FAA found a reduction in alerts from the Traffic Collision Avoidance System for flights at Burbank.
The FAA found that by lowering traffic patterns at Van Nuys Airport (pictured), fewer Burbank flights were at risk for collision
The plane crash in Washington, DC on January 29, 2025 killed 67 people and prompted an investigation
The cockpit-based system monitors the airspace surrounding an aircraft and serves as the last defense against mid-air collisions, per the National Business Aviation Association.
Van Nuys permanently altered their traffic patterns on January 5.
The FAA said it 'will carefully consider the additional recommendations the NTSB made.'
The Hollywood Burbank Airport services approximately 500,000 passengers a month, according to its website.
Its nine major airlines offer flights to Phoenix, Seattle, Denver and outer California.
The Daily Mail has contacted Hollywood Burbank Airport and the FAA for comment.
