NTSB Chair's Warning Highlights Burbank (Van Nuys) Airspace Safety Concerns

iSpyVNY - January 28, 2026

 

Washington, D.C. — Concerns about safety in the airspace surrounding Hollywood Burbank and Van Nuys airports intensified after National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chair Jennifer Homendy disclosed that commercial airlines had warned her directly about collision risks in the Burbank area. Homendy made the remarks during a press exchange at a break in a January 27, 2026 NTSB public hearing.

 

“I keep hearing of other areas of the airspace where there is concern,” Homendy said. “Burbank is one where commercial airlines have called me to say, ‘the next mid-air collision is going to be at Burbank and nobody at FAA is paying attention to us.’”

 

The comments were made during a hearing investigating the January 29, 2025 mid-air collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C. Residents living beneath the Burbank–Van Nuys airspace say the Chairwoman’s warning underscores long-standing safety concerns.

 

According to the Aviation Safety Reporting System, multiple near mid-air collisions have been reported at Hollywood Burbank and Van Nuys airports since 2021. Community members point to those reports, along with repeated Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) alerts involving Burbank arrivals and Van Nuys operations, as evidence of persistent congestion and unresolved airspace conflicts.

 

This month, the Federal Aviation Administration permanently lowered the Van Nuys Airport east-side traffic pattern by 200 feet following a 180-day evaluation conducted in 2025. The FAA said preliminary data showed a reduction in TCAS alerts for Burbank arrivals, and the change took effect January 5, 2026. Residents contend the reduction has intensified aircraft impacts on neighborhoods and note that while the FAA indicated a report would be produced, no analysis has been publicly released.

 

In response to Homendy's comment, the FAA issued a statement that read in part, "The FAA acted immediately to improve safety following the tragic mid-air collision, both at DCA and around the country. In February 2025, we began using innovative AI tools to identify similar hotspots with high volumes of mixed helicopter and airplane traffic and implement appropriate mitigations. One of our primary focus areas was Van Nuys Airport and nearby Hollywood Burbank Airport in the Los Angeles area."

 

But some residents say the agency has not demonstrated that the change has improved safety. “The FAA makes a change that adversely impacts communities below these flight patterns, yet has not provided any reports to demonstrate the change has resulted in substantive resolution or addressed all the safety concerns,” said Cat Perenchio, a San Fernando Valley resident.

 

During the January 27 hearing, Homendy questioned whether safety data collected by regulators is being meaningfully analyzed and raised concerns about how safety issues are addressed when warnings go unheeded. “Why collect data if you’re not going to analyze it?”, she stated. 

 

Residents say those concerns apply directly to the Burbank–Van Nuys airspace and are calling for transparent, data-driven, publicly available safety analyses before any further operational changes. They point to Los Angeles World Airports’ (LAWA) December 2025 release of several Request for Proposal (RFP) opportunities at Van Nuys, which they say would increase congestion in the BUR–VNY airspace without a publicly available analysis by the airport or FAA.

 

“The over-saturation of this airspace has fueled opposition to LAWA’s December 5 release of six RFPs, which would significantly increase operations at VNY,” read an email shared with iSpyVNY on January 28 from Chris Johnston of SoCalSFV Aero Group. “The solicitations were issued without any analysis by the FAA or LAWA of how the resulting increase in operations might affect safety—something we hope the NTSB may consider.”

 

The local group said they are urging the NTSB to maintain active oversight, ensuring that airspace safety in the Burbank–Van Nuys corridor is rigorously analyzed and that any operational changes are supported by transparent, evidence-based data. 

 

Hollywood Burbank Airport initially referred all questions to the FAA; today it released a statement citing "the safety of our guests, staff, tenants and all stakeholders while they are at Hollywood Burbank Airport is our top priority."