NTSB Details Preventable Factors in Potomac Midair Crash

A midair collision between an American Airlines regional jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River near Washington, D.C., on January 29, 2025, killed all 67 people aboard both aircraft, marking the deadliest aviation disaster on U.S. soil since 2001. The National Transportation Safety Board, in a hearing this week, detailed multiple contributing factors to the crash without pinpointing a single cause, emphasizing a series of safety lapses that investigators say were preventable.

The American Airlines Flight 5342, a CRJ700 operated by PSA Airlines and en route from Wichita, Kansas, was on final approach to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport when it struck the helicopter at 278 feet above the river, less than a half-mile from the runway. The plane carried 60 passengers and four crew members, including first officer Sam Lilley, while the Black Hawk had three soldiers on board. Both aircraft plummeted into the icy water, with no survivors.

NTSB investigators highlighted several key issues. The helicopter followed Route 4 along the Potomac, a path designed to allow helicopters and landing planes to pass as close as 75 feet apart when using the airport's...