Duffy: Feds would redoubling efforts to make airspace even safer

54311367826_8672b57725_k — The NTSB, in coordination with the Naval Sea Systems Command Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV), recovered the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk involved in the Jan. 29 mid-air collision near DCA. The Black Hawk was recovered to a barge in the Potomac River on Feb. 6.

On the anniversary of the Colgan Air Flight 3407 disaster that killed 50 people and in the wake of the helicopter and commercial flight collision last month, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy promised the feds would redouble efforts to make the airspace even safer.

“Today, we reflect on the heartbreaking tragedy of Colgan Air Flight 3407,” Duffy said in a statement. “We solemnly remember the lives lost in this tragedy and express our heartfelt condolences to the families who live with this loss every day. This crash is a daily reminder of why our department puts safety first. On the heels of the incident at Reagan, we are redoubling our efforts to make our airspace even safer.”

Colgan Air Flight 3407, flying from Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey, stalled and crashed during its landing approach at Buffalo Niagara International Airport in Buffalo, New York, on Feb. 12, 2009. The crash in Clarence Center, New York, was blamed on pilot error.

The Bombardier Q400 was flying as a Continental Connection flight at the time of the crash.

On Jan. 29, a United States Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter collided with American Airlines Flight 5342, a Bombardier CRJ700 operated by PSA Airlines, about half a mile short of runway 33 at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia. All 64 people on the airliner and all three on the helicopter were killed.

It marked the first major U.S. commercial passenger flight crash since the Colgan Air crash.