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).

Another flight arriving at Reagan National Airport was forced to abort landing due to helicopter traffic just 24 hours before the tragic midair crash between a military helicopter, according to a