US Army report finds systemic failures behind January 2025 Washington DC midair collision

Right · 2A US Army investigation found systemic breakdowns behind the January 2025 midair collision near Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., between a UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines jet, which killed 67 people. 1 2 Right · 2The Army has not publicly released the report, which was completed in May; it shared it with victims' families late last week, and the Associated Press obtained a copy on Thursday. The Washington Examiner also said it obtained a copy. The Army did not immediately comment. 1 2 Right · 2The lieutenant general who wrote the report said "breakdowns across all layers of conflict management caused this accident" but "the most salient contributing factor was the two broken radio transmissions", which kept the helicopter crew from identifying the American Airlines flight (Flight 5342). 1 2

Right · 1The report says the Black Hawk crew also faced instrumentation inaccuracies, intense urban lighting while wearing night vision goggles, and gusty winds with turbulence, and that layers of structural, procedural and technical risk mitigation failed to prevent a collision. 2 Right · 1The helicopter route in use allowed as little as 75 feet (23 meters) of vertical separation from planes landing on Reagan's secondary runway, which Arab News, citing the AP, said did not allow for the accepted error in a Black Hawk's altimeter; the NTSB found the helicopter flying nearly 100 feet (30 meters) higher than its instruments read. 1 Right · 1The Washington Examiner added that Sikorsky and Army officials testified last year that the barometric altimeter can be off by as much as 130 feet, and that the crash helicopter carried extra fuel tanks. It also reported the report's finding that the helicopter's ADS-B failed to transmit because of an incorrect time Source Reference Code configuration. 2

Right · 2The report also said the Reagan tower air traffic controller could have prevented the crash by giving the helicopter crew more detail on the plane's position and by warning the plane about the helicopter, while acknowledging the military's own failings. It largely reinforces the NTSB's conclusions, though the NTSB investigation was broader and focused on years of FAA warning signs. 1 2 Right · 1The report recommended the Army study helicopter practices in every major city where it operates; an Army official, speaking anonymously, said reviews in places including Los Angeles and the Seattle-Tacoma region are ongoing. The NTSB told the Army last week it is pleased with progress on seven of its eight recommendations, whereas it has faulted the FAA for not implementing about a third of its recommendations. 1 Right · 2Families of Flight 5342 said both investigations show collision avoidance technology must be part of the solution and urged Congress to act; the House and Senate have passed different aviation safety bills and are still working on a compromise. They also said the report does not assign individual leadership accountability and renewed a call for an Army Inspector General audit requested by 24 senators. 1 2

Right · 1Tim Lilley, a former Army Black Hawk pilot whose son Sam was first officer on the jet, said he wants more details, noting that some of the report was redacted and responsibility was assigned broadly across the Army. 1