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The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the air traffic control practices at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport following a mid-air collision in January that killed 67 people.A recurring phrase during the hearing was "just make it work," which reportedly describes the routine culture among air traffic controllers at Reagan National Airport. Investigators questioned the Federal Aviation Administration about whether this culture pushed controllers to their limits and impacted safety before the crash. Brian Soper, an NTSB investigator, noted that multiple air traffic controllers and pilots reported struggling with the constant stream of planes during interviews. "This is 'we just make it work,' because we don't have another choice," Soper said. "There are airplanes coming in and everything was related to the capacity, the demand or the amount of traffic."Clark Allen, an air traffic control specialist with the FAA, explained that "making it work" involves utilizing all available tools to manage the compacted volume of air traffic.Allen said before the collision, the "making it work" culture was routine.“It can be taxing on a person, you know, constantly (having) to give, give, give or push, push, push in order to efficiently move traffic,” Clark said.Nick Fuller from the FAA added, "'We just make it work' means we're gonna get you to where you're going as safely as possible."The NTSB meeting focused on the complex airspace around Reagan National Airport, which includes a large number of military and law enforcement helicopters intersecting with passenger jets. Air traffic controllers were expected to manage this complexity, sometimes relying on "non-standard" diversions of aircraft to another runway, as occurred the night of the crash. Katherine Wilson, an NTSB investigator, questioned whether safety was compromised by "making it work," to which Allen responded, "You're pushing the line."The airport's control tower has faced staffing shortages for years, according to James Jarvis, an air traffic control specialist contracted by the FAA, who said he was told to stop bringing up the issue. Since the crash and several near misses, the FAA has restricted helicopter flights around the airport. Wilson asked if the DCA airspace is safe to fly in, and Fuller assured, "Absolutely it's safe to fly in. I flew out myself this weekend, roundtrip. I plan to do so again in another few weeks."Medevac pilot Rick Dressler testified, "I don't like saying this. I'll say it again on the record: I'm a former Army aviator and I'm a retired Air Force officer. And I don't like saying that First Heli of the USAF on- from Andrews, and i don't like saying that 12th Aviation Battalion gives us all pause in the community. And I'm speaking from my group there. We, we are all very uncomfortable when those two units are operating."Thousands of documents have been released, including a interviews with a controller who felt overwhelmed by helicopters shortly before the crash. He noted that he saw a helicopter flying too close to a plane but did not speak up, believing it was too late to make a difference.Additionally, NTSB Chairwoman Jen Homendy adjusted the order of witnesses after an accusation that one witness elbowed another during testimony, causing the second witness to stop speaking. Homendy stated that such behavior would not be tolerated.After Wednesday's hearing, Homendy told reporters she has “concerns” there is a “safety culture” problem in both Army aviation and the air traffic organization of the FAA.