By Tony Bruce | Tuesday, May 6, 2025 | 3 min read
It’s easy to think that boarding a flight in America is as routine as grabbing a morning latte. Yet, in recent months, a cascade of frightening aviation incidents has laid bare a deeper problem: leadership turmoil at the heart of US air-traffic system.
A Disturbing Surge in Air Disasters
Just weeks into President Trump’s second term, planes began colliding, skidding off runways, and even bursting into flames—often in broad daylight and over major airports. On January 29, two commercial jets clipped wings above Reagan National, leaving 67 people dead. Days later, a medical transport aircraft came down over Philadelphia, killing six patients and wounding bystanders on the ground. From a fiery United Airlines blast-out in Houston to a Japanese carrier grazing a Delta jet’s fuselage in Seattle, the string of calamities felt less like coincidence and more like a system in free-fall.
An FAA Leader Forced Out
Behind these headlines, though, was a far more ignoble story: the man charged with safeguarding U.S. skies had been compelled to resign amid political pressure. Reports now reveal that Elon Musk—already under federal scrutiny for a SpaceX launch failure investigation—leveraged his influence to demand the FAA Administrator’s ouster. The investigation, which probed whether rushed timelines compromised public safety, had led the FAA to penalize SpaceX for cutting corners. Instead of defending his agency’s independence, the President acceded, and the FAA was left headless just as incidents peaked.
Controllers Working Without a Net
With no confirmed replacement in sight, veteran controllers found themselves navigating without a safety net. “Our backup radars? In mothballs,” one whispered to a colleague. “If our primary system fails, there’s nothing but prayer.” It was a sentiment tragically proven true on April 28 at Newark Liberty International, when screens went dark, radios fell silent, and hundreds of planes drifted unguided across New Jersey airspace. For nearly ten terror-filled minutes, controllers could only watch and wait—certain that, if two jets converged, they had no way to prevent disaster.
The Human Toll
When systems finally rebooted, the emotional toll was impossible to ignore. Seasoned controllers were sent home with stress-induced heart palpitations. One longtime supervisor broke down in tears on the tarmac, confessing, “I don’t know how we’ll do this again tomorrow.” Meanwhile, United Airlines quietly canceled 35 Newark routes—a tacit admission that their once-reliable hub could no longer guarantee a safe journey.
Why the World Should Take Notice
Foreign governments already advise travelers about crime, arbitrary arrests, or protests in U.S. cities—and rightly so. But when the very mechanisms that keep planes apart are left leaderless and underfunded, the stakes rise exponentially. Passengers aren’t merely inconvenienced by delays; they risk becoming statistics in the next headline.
This isn’t a plea to shutter borders. America’s national parks, art museums, and family reunions still beckon. But informed citizens deserve clear warnings about ongoing air-traffic control failures. Updated travel advisories would:
- Alert visitors to recent midair and runway mishaps.
- Encourage airlines and regulators to adopt extra cross-checks in U.S. airspace.
- Empower travelers to factor in potential delays or route changes when planning trips.
Restoring confidence will take more than finger-pointing. It demands filling the FAA’s top post with a seasoned aviation professional, investing in parallel radar and radio systems, and ensuring controllers aren’t left to fly blind. Until that happens, every takeoff carries a question mark—and foreign governments would be wise to remind citizens that the danger isn’t off in “some far-flung corner,” but right here at home, just overhead.
Copyright 2025 FN, NewsRoom.
