A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) shows how two airplanes collided midair on January 29th 2025 above the Potomac River near Washington D.C. The flying machines involved were an American Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 and a U.S. Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. Both aircraft lost all 67 passengers during this accident. All aircraft personnel died after both planes collided with each other. The report explores major factors behind the incident along with essential safety issues that need attention.
Alarming Frequency of Near-Miss Incidents
During the period between October 2021 and December 2024 Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport detected more than 15,200 dangerous encounters between helicopters and airplanes. The records show that aircraft had 85 dangerous near-collisions during this time period. Systemic problems with air traffic management at the airport demand immediate fixes according to these recorded data points.
Altitude Discrepancies and Route Violations
The CRJ700 descended while the helicopter maintained an illegal altitude of greater than 200 feet in the air until aircraft contact happened at 300 feet from ground level. Flight instrument readings displayed inconsistent elevations which might result from equipment failure while the pilot could have misinterpreted the information.
Air Traffic Control Staffing Concerns
Both aircraft under the control of one traffic controller violated the standard operating procedure that requires separate air traffic controllers for different types of aircraft. The isolated staffing choice could have caused important information to fail between crews and made aircraft distances insufficient.
NTSB's Urgent Safety Recommendations
Relevant to these findings the NTSB has issued critical safety recommendations through multiple channels.
The NTSB supports implementing helicopter flight prohibitions in specific areas surrounding airport runways to decrease runway collision possibilities.
The proposal suggests creating new helicopter flight routes which stay safely away from commercial airline routes.