National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chair Jennifer Homendy warned that Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) could be at risk for a deadly midair collision if safety concerns raised by airlines are not addressed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Homendy’s remarks came Tuesday following a congressional hearing as part of the NTSB’s investigation into a fatal midair collision near Washington, D.C., last year involving an Army helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet that killed 67 people.
Homendy said commercial airline operators have repeatedly flagged concerns about congestion and mixed traffic in the Burbank airspace but feel their warnings have been ignored by the FAA. The airport handles thousands of operations each month, including 7,541 commercial flights in December 2025.
“Burbank is one where commercial airlines have called me to say the next midair is going to be at Burbank, and nobody at FAA is paying attention to us,” said Homendy. “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.”
The LA Times cited data from NASA’s Aviation Safety Reporting System noting there have been six reported near midair collisions at Burbank Airport since Jan. 1, 2021.
In response, the FAA said it has already implemented safety improvements at both airports.
The agency said it has been using AI tools since February 2025 to identify high-traffic “hotspots” with mixed helicopter and airplane operations. As part of its efforts, the FAA temporarily lowered the Van Nuys traffic pattern by 200 feet to reduce conflicts with Burbank arrivals. Preliminary results showed fewer TCAS alerts, and the FAA made the change permanent on Jan. 5, 2026.
Average of One NMAC report per year over five years?
Military helicopters should be limited to military operations areas, and should not be at Burbank. Private commercial helicopters have all the latest technology, unlike the military. And Burbank is unique because of its unique weather. Either clear or foggy. When foggy, the airliners must go elsewhere leaving the airport to commercial helicopters. So maybe increased risk of collisions at Burbank. But the weather circumvents most of the potential possible collisions. So, like most aviation situations, there is more to it than meets the eye, literally and figuratively; at Burbank. Having flown out of Burbank in the distant past.
The problem at BUR is traffic over VNY. We cross the FAF for runway 8 (BUDDE) at 2753’, which is basically right over VNY, elevation 802, pattern altitudes 2000’ and 1800’ for the west and east runways, respectively. We get TCAS RAs frequently.
This could come down to a dispute between GA and airline traffic. If the problem is airliners going into Burbank getting numerous RA’s, maybe a reduction in airliner traffic is needed. Not holding my breath on that happening. At the altitudes mentioned, the TCAS systems on airliners should catch any traffic missed visually. All traffic going into both airports are supposed to have ADS-B out already. Other than the terrain, I don’t think the BUR/VNY airspace is any worse than the New York area, and I don’t hear any NTSB complaints about that! I have plenty of experience flying in both.
I hope someone is paying attention to her! Last time everyone ignored the advice in favor of revenue and convenience, 67 people were killed…needlessly!!!