DCA’s decades-long struggle with safety

The tragic collision between an American Airlines jet and a military helicopter near Reagan National Airport brought forth an eerie memory of a near miss at DCA between a helicopter and an airplane I was on nearly 40 years ago.

In September 1985, I was heading to New York City to work an overnight news desk shift for a colleague at ABC’s “Good Morning America.” The fully loaded Eastern Air Lines Boeing 727 was racing northward on National’s main runway and had reached “VR” speed, the moment the pilot raises the nose to climb — usually past the point of no return.