US EditionInvestigators say deadly midair collision near DC followed years of ignored warnings about traffic
The NTSB attributes the 67-fatality crash to ignored FAA warnings, dangerous helicopter routing, and overworked controllers managing congested airspace near Reagan National Airport.
- The NTSB this Tuesday opened its hearing following a year-long investigation into the Jan. 29, 2025 midair collision between an Army helicopter and American Eagle Flight 5342 near Washington, D.C., which killed all 64 passengers and crew aboard the airliner and 3 on the helicopter.
- NTSB investigators said a series of systemic failures at the Federal Aviation Administration allowed helicopters near the airport with insufficient safeguards, and the Black Hawk exceeded its 61-metre maximum route altitude, colliding at nearly 91 metres last year.
- NTSB simulations showed three viewpoints and communications, revealing a traffic peak of 12 aircraft handled by a single controller with a Collision Avoidance System warning.
- Last week, the Federal Aviation Administration enacted a permanent airspace change at Reagan National Airport , reduced hourly arrivals from 36 to 30, and increased staff while officials said they will consider additional NTSB recommendations as victims' families await meaningful change.
- Years of warnings preceded the crash, as NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said concerns were repeatedly squashed; the Aviation Safety Reporting System recorded 15,200 air separation incidents since 2021, and the crash was the deadliest U.S. aviation disaster in over 20 years.
103 Articles
103 Articles
California airport could be site of a mid-air crash, airlines warn feds
Airline officials have warned of safety concerns at the Hollywood Burbank Airport, the chair of the National Transportation Safety Board said during a hearing Tuesday, Jan. 27, to determine the cause of a mid-air collision that killed 67 people in Washington, D.C. last year. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy told officials there were a series of failures by the Federal Aviation Administration before an American Airlines jet and Army Black Hawk helicop…
NTSB says $400 GPS device could have prevented D.C. midair crash
The National Transportation Safety Board concluded Tuesday that systemic failures across multiple federal agencies caused the midair collision near Reagan National Airport that killed 67 people last year. Investigators said known risks were left unaddressed despite years of warnings and available safety tools. The findings were presented at a daylong NTSB hearing, held two days before the one-year anniversary of the crash between an American Air…
In January 2025, a regional jet from American Airlines collided with a black-hawk helicopter from the U.S. Army. 67 people died. It was the worst U.S. aircraft accident in more than two decades.
67 people were killed in the collision between a regional jet and an army helicopter in January 2025.
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