Federal investigators are looking into the reasons why an American Airlines CRJ-700 and a U.S. Army VH-60 Black Hawk helicopter.
In the hours after a mid-air collision that killed over 60 people over Washington, DC, federal investigators want to know how the incident could have happened.
On the evening of Wednesday, January 29, 2025, American Airlines Flight 5342 crashed with a U.S. Army VH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, sending both aircraft into the Potomac River and killing everyone aboard both aircraft.
Answers Could Lie with Air Traffic Control, Flight Data Recorders
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the incident occurred around 9 p.m. Eastern Time as American Flight 5342 was on final approach to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). An air traffic controller asked the pilots to change their landing to Runway 33, which required a repositioning.
Shortly after the request, the aircraft collided with the U.S. Army helicopter, which was on a training flight in the area. According to the Associated Press, the American flight was operating at an altitude of 400 feet, while the helicopter was only cleared to fly 200 feet above ground.
Investigators are now working to piece together what caused the aircraft to collide mid-air. One answer could lie in the air traffic control personnel that night. The AP reports that only one air traffic controller was on duty and working with the two aircraft, which is a job designed for two people. Shortly before the accident, the controller reportedly asked the helicopter if they saw the American flight and instructed them to cross behind the aircraft.
ABC News reports among the 67 souls lost in the crash were 14 flyers returning from a figure skating training camp in Kansas. One of the pilots fathers were reportedly in the Army and flew a similar route on a regular basis.
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation with the assistance of the FAA.
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Ed. Note: The aircraft depicted above is the American Airlines CRJ-700 involved in the incident, as photographed in April 2022. Image courtesy: Colin Brown/Flickr/CC BY 2.0
