Investigators to wrap up public hearings into fatal midair crash between
Army chopper and airplane
[August 01, 2025]
By JOSH FUNK
The National Transportation Safety Board on Friday enters its third and
final day of public testimony over the fatal midair crash between an
Army helicopter and commercial jet in January.
Two previous days of testimony underscored a number of factors that
likely contributed to the collision that left all 67 people aboard both
aircrafts dead, sparking Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy to urge the
Federal Aviation Administration to “do better" as she pointed to
warnings the agency ignored years earlier.
Some of the major issues that have emerged so far include the Black Hawk
helicopter flying above prescribed levels near Ronald Reagan National
Airport as well as the warnings to FAA officials for years about the
hazards related to the heavy chopper traffic there.
It’s too early for the board to identify what exactly caused the crash.
A final report from the board won’t come until next year.
But it became clear this week how small a margin of error there was for
helicopters flying the route the Black Hawk took the night of the
nation’s deadliest plane crash since November 2001.
The January incident was the first in a string of crashes and near
misses this year that have alarmed officials and the traveling public,
despite statistics that still show flying remains the safest form of
transportation.
Worry over military helicopters
The board focused on air traffic control and heard Thursday that it was
common for pilots to ask to use visual separation or relying on their
eyesight just as the Army Black Hawk’s pilots, who were wearing night
vision goggles, agreed to do the night of the crash.
FAA officials also said controllers relied heavily on pilots using
visual separation as a way to manage the complex airspace with so many
helicopters flying around Washington D.C.
But Rick Dressler, an official with medevac operator Metro Aviation,
told the board it is difficult to identify other aircraft in the night
sky around Ronald Reagan National Airport, especially if a key onboard
locator system was switched off, as Army choppers routinely did.
Dressler said that he and other civilian helicopter pilots in the area
have long been concerned about the Army and Air Force helicopters flying
around Reagan airport.
“I don’t like saying this. I’ll say it again on the record,” Dressler, a
former Army aviator and retired Air Force officer, said. “I’m speaking
for my group there. We we are all very uncomfortable when those two
units are operating.”
The Department of Defense referred questions about Thursday’s testimony
to the Army, which did not immediately respond. Army officials at the
hearing did ask Dressler to elaborate on his concerns and consider
visiting the Pentagon to share them.
Dressel said part of what worries him is the relative lack of experience
of the military pilots who may have only been in the area a short time
and don’t understand the complex airspace around Washington D.C.
“They don’t get the seasoning here to really, truly understand how the
airspace works,” said Dressel, who also complained that the Army
helicopter unit no longer participates in regular meetings with all the
other aviators in the area to discuss issues.
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National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy, on
monitor left, swears-in the witnesses from left: Dan Cooper,
Sikorsky Aircraft, Lance Gant, Federal Aviation Administration, U.S.
Army CW4 Kylene Lewis, Steve Braddom, U.S. Army, and Scott Rosengren,
U.S. Army, during the NTSB fact-finding hearing on the DCA midair
collision accident, at the National Transportation and Safety Board
boardroom, Wednesday, July 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod
Lamkey, Jr.)
The Air Force also did not immediately respond to questions about
Dressler’s remarks.
The American Airlines jet arrived from Wichita, Kansas, carrying,
among others, a group of elite young figure skaters, their parents
and coaches, and four union steamfitters from the Washington area.
Final moments
Testimony covered much ground, including the final audio
communications from pilots aboard the Army chopper.
The Black Hawk’s crew had been communicating with the airport’s
control tower, although the helicopter pilots did not fully hear the
controller’s instructions.
The Black Hawk pilots told the tower twice in the minutes before the
crash that they had the American Airlines passenger plane in sight
and would maintain proper separation. But when the controller
instructed the pilots to “pass behind” the jet, the crew didn’t hear
that instruction because the Black Hawk’s microphone key was pressed
at that moment.
Just before the collision an instructor pilot aboard the helicopter
asked the pilot at the controls to come left. But it wasn’t clear if
the pilot had time to maneuver the helicopter before the crash.
“Kinda come left for me ma’am,” the instructor said.
The pilot responded: “Sure.”
Concern about distances between planes and helicopters
John Cox, an aviation safety expert and retired airline pilot, said
the hearings are headed in the right direction to determine what
happened and to prevent similar accidents.
His main concerns focus on the Black Hawk helicopter, including why
it was above the 200-feet (61 meters) elevation limit for that
particular helicopter route. Another question is why the Black Hawk
wasn’t closer to the east bank of the Potomac River, where it would
have been further away from landing airplanes.
“I’ve passed helicopters underneath me over the east bank of the
Potomac a lot of times,” said Cox, who flew commercial airliners for
25 years. “And there’s always been plenty of separation. It’s not a
lot because the space is so constrained. But you’re dealing with
professional pilots and it’s not been a problem.”
Investigators said Wednesday the flight data recorder showed the
helicopter was actually 80 feet to 100 feet (24 to 30 meters) higher
than the barometric altimeter the pilots relied upon showed they
were flying.
___
Associated Press writers David Klepper, Mike Catalini, Leah
Askarinam, Ben Finley and Rio Yamat contributed to this story.
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