FAA, DOD data silos were partly to blame for last year’s DCA crash - The Daily Scoop Podcast

The Daily Scoop Podcast: FAA, DOD Data Silos and the DCA Crash; State Department’s Next AI Leap

Date: February 18, 2026
Host: Billy Mitchell

Episode Overview

This episode focuses on two key government technology stories:

The National Transportation Safety Board’s final report on last year’s deadly mid-air collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), highlighting how data silos between the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Department of Defense (DOD) contributed to the tragedy.
The State Department’s advancement toward agentic AI, building on its leadership in federal artificial intelligence adoption.

Key Discussion Points

1. DCA Crash: Data Silos and Safety Failures

[00:01–02:48]

NTSB’s Final Report on the Crash
- The National Transportation Safety Board concluded that inadequate information sharing and deficient data practices at the FAA and DOD/Army were partly responsible for a mid-air collision near DCA last year.
- Key Findings:
  - FAA’s Air Traffic Organization had multiple chances to spot collision risks—missed due to poor data analysis and weak risk assessment (“insufficient data analysis, safety assurance systems and risk assessment processes failed to recognize and mitigate”).
  - The Army lacked a flight safety data monitoring program for helicopters, resulting in missed hazards.
  - NTSB noted “the limited access to and use of available objective and subjective proximity data hindered industry and government stakeholders’ ability to identify hazards and mitigate risk.”
- Investigation by NTSB included 50–60 staff and collected 19,000 pages of evidence.
- In Senate testimony, NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy stated:
  
  “The collision ultimately was preventable.” [~02:10]
Agency Responses
- FAA: Did not respond to comment.
- Army: Major Montrell Russell, Army Spokesperson, thanked NTSB for its work and stated the Army “remains committed to collaborating closely with the NTSB, FAA and other federal partners to support lasting improvements in aviation safety that honor those who were lost.” [02:30]

2. State Department Eyes Agentic AI

[02:48–04:33]

Background: State’s AI Experience
- State Department previously launched an internal chatbot and normalized AI for translation, summarization, and other uses.
- CIO Kelly Fletcher announced at the FedScoop-produced GDIT Emerge event in Washington, D.C., that the department will roll out “AgentIC AI” and continue embedding AI in its systems.
Quotes & Highlights
- Fletcher emphasized the ongoing need to democratize access to generative AI at State and signaled that “any shift towards agentic AI won’t come with a snap of the fingers.” [03:10]
- On reducing hurdles for workers:
  
  “The more you can make it easy for people to do their job to reduce administrative friction, the better off you’re going to be. Part of that is agents, and part of that is consolidation.” — Kelly Fletcher [03:32]
- State is considering consolidation and standardization (from end-user devices to help desks).
- Definition: Agentic AI goes beyond standard generative AI. Agents can autonomously create content and perform tasks without human input, increasing efficiency for complex jobs.
State of Agentic AI Technology
- Per a September 2025 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report (Science, Technology, Assessment and Analytics Division), AI agents are already used for software development and customer service, but the field is still maturing.
- The best-performing AI agent could only autonomously complete about 30% of software development tasks tested, reflecting both promise and limitations.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

NTSB on DCA Crash:
- “The collision ultimately was preventable.” — Jennifer Homendy, NTSB Chairwoman [~02:10]
Army Spokesperson on Safety Commitment:
- “The army remains committed to collaborating closely with the NTSB, FAA and other federal partners to support lasting improvements in aviation safety that honor those who were lost.” — Major Montrell Russell [02:30]
State Department on Agentic AI:
- “The more you can make it easy for people to do their job to reduce administrative friction, the better off you’re going to be. Part of that is agents, and part of that is consolidation.” — Kelly Fletcher [03:32]

Important Timestamps

[00:01] — Episode opens with DCA crash coverage
[01:00] — Key NTSB findings on data silos
[02:10] — Homendy: Crash was preventable
[02:30] — Army spokesperson’s official statement
[02:48] — State Department’s AI adoption and future plans
[03:32] — Fletcher on reducing admin friction with agents
[03:50] — GAO report on the current limits of agentic AI

In Summary

This episode delivers crucial insights into how government data silos can have real-world, tragic consequences—exemplified by the DCA crash findings—and how agencies like the State Department are redefining the digital workplace with advanced AI. The discussions underscore the importance of robust data sharing, safety management, and the careful, thoughtful expansion of AI autonomy in federal environments.

Transcript

A (0:01)

Today on the Daily Scoop Podcast from the Scoop News Group, Data silos at the Faa and the DoD were partly to blame for last year's deadly DCA crash and the State Department is gearing up to roll out agentic AI. It's Wednesday, February 18, 2026. Welcome to the Daily Scoop Podcast where you'll hear the latest news and trends facing government leaders. I'm the host of the Daily Scoop Podcast, Billy Mitchell. Thanks so much for joining me. And now let's dive into the day's top headlines. Inadequate information sharing and deficient data practices across the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Defense were to blame in part for the mid air collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport last year. According to the National Transportation Safety Board's final report, NTSB found that the FAA's Air Traffic Organization was made aware of and had multiple opportunities to identify the risk of a mid air collision between airplanes and helicopters. Yet insufficient data analysis, safety assurance systems and risk assessment processes failed to recognize and mitigate. While the army was unaware of certain risks tied to DCA due to a non existent flight safety data monitoring program for its helicopters, and NTSB also found the army had a weak safety management system that failed to consistently detect hazards. As the NTSB said in its report, the limited access to and use of available objective and subjective proximity data hindered industry and government stakeholders ability to identify hazards and mitigate risk. As part of NTSB's analysis, the watchdog had 50 to 60 staff members on the investigation who gathered 19,000 pages of evidence. Jennifer Homendy, chairwoman of the NTSB, testified during a Senate hearing last Thursday. The collision ultimately was preventable, she said. The FAA did not respond to a request for comment. In an emailed statement, army spokesperson Major Montrell Russell thanked Homendy and NTSB investigators and said the army remains committed to collaborating closely with the ntsb, FAA and other federal partners to support lasting improvements in aviation safety that honor those who were lost. Now moving on to other news. After successfully launching its own internal chatbot and normalizing the use of AI tools for translation, summarization and other diplomatically beneficial uses, the State Department is eyeing the next step in its journey with the emerging technology. State Department CIO Kelly Fletcher said last Thursday during the FedScoop produced GDIT Emerge event in Washington, D.C. that the state Department is going to roll out AgentIC AI and that it is going to continue to embed AI in its systems. The State Department has been a leader in federal AI adoption reflected in robust use, case inventories and a general embrace of the technology at its highest levels. Current tech leaders remain focused on trying to democratize access to generative AI throughout the agency, Fletcher said. That likely means that any shift towards agentic AI won't come with a snap of the fingers. Still, the department is currently looking to consolidate and standardize and simplify around commodities, she said, which could cover everything from end user devices to help desks. Fletcher explained at the event that the more you can make it easy for people to do their job to reduce administrative friction, the better off you're going to be. Part of that is agents, and part of that is consolidation. Agentic AI systems are able to create content in a way that generative AI can, but agents can take it several steps further by operating autonomously. Having autonomous capabilities means AI agents can complete more complex tasks and make decisions without direction from a human in the loop. A September 2025 report from the Government Accountability Office's Science, Technology, Assessment and Analytics Division noted that AI agents are currently used in areas such as software development and customer service, but there's still plenty of maturing the technology has to do. Per the gao, a study found that the best performing AI agent tested was only able to autonomously perform about 30% of software development tasks to completion. For more news at the intersection of the federal government and technology, make sure to visit fedscoop.com thanks so much for.