The revelation comes months after the midair collision between a commercial jet and an Army helicopter killed 67 people, raising questions about military aircraft in the congested capital airspace.

Sen. Ted Cruz asked whether a hotline between military and civilian air traffic controllers in Washington, D.C., that hasn’t worked for more than three years may have contributed to another near miss

A “hotline” between air traffic controllers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and the Pentagon intended to coordinate aircraft has not worked since March 2022, the Federal Aviation Administration revealed in a congressional hearing Wednesday.