The NTSB has released a preliminary report on the January 29, 2025 tragedy where a U.S. Army UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter collided American Airlines flight 5342 from Wichita as it was landing at Washington National airport.
Investigators found issues with the Black Hawk’s flight data recorder, which does not store date, time, or positional information. Pressure altitude data appeared to be invalid, and investigators are working to determine if this affected other critical helicopter systems, such as the altimeter.
The PSA-operated regional jet and the Army helicopter were on different radio frequencies. As a result, neither crew could hear the other’s transmissions. However, the controller’s transmissions to each aircraft were audible to both crews.
Air traffic control workload is being examined, as at the time of the incident one controller was handling two positions, and two other positions were combined for the entire day. However there are no conclusions yet regarding a role that staffing levels played in the crash.
The investigation highlighted long-standing safety concerns regarding helicopter operations near DCA airport. There were over 15,214 close-proximity events between commercial aircraft and helicopters at the airport from 2011 through 2024. There has been at least one Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) resolution advisory per month due to helicopters. In over half of these cases, the helicopter was above the designated altitude restriction. 85 cases involved aircraft being laterally separated by less than 1,500 feet and vertically separated by less than 200 feet.
Here’s a radar screen display of the collision from Aviation Herald:
And here’s very disturbing video from the scene:
The NTSB has issued two urgent safety recommendations to the FAA regarding helicopter routes near DCA:
- Prohibit helicopter operations on Route 4 between Hains Point and the Wilson Bridge when Runways 15 and 33 are in use for arrivals and departures.
- Establish an alternative helicopter route to facilitate travel when Route 4 is restricted.
The FAA has temporarily banned helicopter traffic over the Potomac River near DCA until March 31, 2025. The NTSB wants a permanent solution. As a result of the incident, the NTSB is evaluating similar risks at other airports across the country.
The NTSB is also reviewing how the U.S. Army installs, programs, and manages ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast) systems on Black Hawk helicopters. The NTSB is determining whether the ADS-B system was installed correctly, malfunctioned, or was turned off.
Earlier, the NTSB reported that the Blackhawk helicopter was doing a checkride. The helicopter was following helicopter route 1, and the pilot indicated they were at 300 feet while the instructor said contradicted this reporting 400 feet. Twenty seconds prior to impact tower queried the crew whether they had the PSA regional jet in sight, and a conflict alert was audible at the time. Seventeen seconds prior to impact the tower directed the Blackhawk to pass behind the commercial flight. The NTSB believes that the helicopter was 278 feet above the Potomac river at the time of impact and had been steady for at least 5 seconds. However it was not clear what altitude was shown to the pilots on their instruments.
Ultimately, investigations have gathered substantial data on prior near-collisions, but are still working through the specific sequence of events leading to the crash, and additional simulations and interviews will take place prior to issuing a final report which will include a determination of the probably cause.
I still feel for the victims, and wish the investigators the best in learning from this so it never happens again. Do note that the NTSB does not blame ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion,’ so let’s please stop with all that nonsense.
Hardly surprising. Was an accident waiting to happen.
There were 15,000 previous incidents and no real action was taken? This sounds criminal to me. Very scary!
1990: I have no idea what the underlying reason for this tragedy will turn out to be but with 15,000 known incident’s in the past it would be reasonable to question whether deficiencies at the NTSB was a contributing factor.
“There has been at least one Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) resolution advisory PER MONTH due to helicopters”
This is criminal, nothing was done to improve safety after receiving TCAS alerts EVERY month?
@David P — Is ‘deficiencies’ a new code-word for ‘DEI’? Enough of this. You know better, or should know better. Once again, this tragedy wasn’t because anyone was brown, gay, or female. Stop it.
1990: I’d say deficiencies is broader than DEI. It could be a DEI issue? I don’t know? It certainly seems like a stupidity issue some where along the chain. I do hope we eventually learn the truth.
Gary – please include links to the actual report if people want to read the first hand document. Thanks.
https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/Documents/DCA25MA108%20Prelim.pdf
The most surprising thing here is that we still have a NTSB. I wonder for how much longer? The second most surprising thing here is that they didn’t blame a black trans woman for the incident.
With Trump tanking the economy, there will be fewer closer calls as people won’t be able to afford helicopter travel.
But then again, with Trump gutting the FAA things might work out badly anyway.
Congratulations geniuses
@David P — The NTSB is the sole authority on this incident, and their preliminary report does not state or imply that ‘DEI’ had anything to do with the tragedy—and if it did, the report would absolutely say so, especially since the President made such a big deal about it by wrongly suggested that ‘culture war’ issue was the cause. So, your skepticism is disingenuous. It’s not a ‘maybe.’ It was not ‘DEI.’ Period.
JFC. That works out to around 1100 incidents per year.
Sad that a tragedy of monumental significance resulted from the incompetence of regulators to safeguard the DCA airspace. This accident should never have happened. There is no reason why the helicopter was anywhere near the landing approach to such a busy airport.
Based on the comments I’ve read on airline blogs over the years, it’s obvious that safety isn’t nearly as important as set-back TVs, gourmet food, fast wi-fi, and fancy lounges.
This is cynical but I wonder if this incident is enough blood to cause changes to similar circumstances to make them safer. I would guess that there are other places that have a lot of near misses that need to have adjustments to make them safer.
The NTSB has recommended changes with upgraded equipment to prevent investigated accidents for over 20 years! Only to have their recommendations ignored because funding was not a top priority. And guess what? Today the house only passed another continuing resolution which will not allow an increase for improvements. You want safer things, insist your elected lawmakers have the guts to fund them. Enough already.
@jns — You likely already know that nearly all our safety rules, whether by NTSB, OSHA, etc., are ‘written in blood,’ as they say. I was surprised to read that Secretary Duffy appeared to have defended against DOGE’s firing of ATC and other essential staff. Yet, still, there are those in government and here in the comments who gleefully seek to ‘move fast and break things,’ regardless of consequences. Under the current administration in the US, the answer is no, our lives are not important. The only thing that matters to them seems to be controlling the narrative and remaining in power, indefinitely, while they sell-ofd the country to the highest bidder. If these agencies aren’t outright abolished or privatized in the coming years, what remains will be an empty husk of incompetent loyalists—ironically, the opposite of the so-called ‘merit’ that they speak of so regularly. It didn’t have to be this way. We are capable of and deserve so much better. I hope for better days when safety and consumer protection will be the actual priority in commercial aviation and all industries.