Army Black Hawk helicopter tragically collides with American Airlines passenger plane near Reagan National Airport in Washington DC

What was supposed to be a routine training mission turned into a devastating tragedy when an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines passenger plane near Reagan National Airport.

The crash, which happened just before 9 p.m. on January 29, claimed the lives of all 67 people on board both aircraft.

Now, investigators are digging into the circumstances surrounding the fatal collision, with a major focus on whether the Black Hawk’s crew was using night vision goggles at the time.

Investigators Zero In on Night Vision Goggles

According to Jennifer Homendy, head of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), early findings suggest that the helicopter crew was likely using night vision goggles during the mission. These visual aids enhance pilots’ ability to see in low-light conditions but can also limit peripheral vision.

If the crew had opted to fly without them, they would have been required to declare it over the radio.

However, investigators found no such statement on the cockpit voice recorder, leading them to believe the goggles were in use.

The Purpose Behind the Flight

The Black Hawk helicopter was part of a standard Army check ride—a certification flight meant to assess pilots’ skills.

Specifically, 28-year-old Captain Rebecca M. Lobach was undergoing her annual evaluation, which included proficiency testing with night vision goggles.

The training mission should have been straightforward, but something went terribly wrong as the helicopter entered commercial airspace just as American Airlines Flight 5342 was making its final descent.

A Crucial Safety System Was Turned Off

A major point of concern is that the Black Hawk’s Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) system, which transmits an aircraft’s real-time location and altitude, was disabled at the time of the crash.

This system is critical for collision avoidance, providing data to both pilots and air traffic controllers.

Military aircraft sometimes turn off ADS-B for high-security missions, but in this case, it was simply a training exercise—raising questions about why it wasn’t activated.

Senator Ted Cruz, who was briefed on the incident, was quick to call out the lack of transparency regarding the decision to turn off the ADS-B.

“There was no compelling national security reason for ADS-B to be turned off during a routine training flight,” he stated.

The U.S. Army has yet to comment on this specific claim, saying they will wait for the full investigation to conclude.

The Final Moments Before Impact

As investigators comb through the wreckage and black box data, new details have emerged about the chaotic final moments.

Radar data confirmed that the Black Hawk was flying at 300 feet—100 feet higher than the allowed altitude for helicopters in commercial airspace.

Meanwhile, the American Airlines jet was at 325 feet, descending for its landing.

The passenger plane’s pilots noticed the helicopter at the last second and attempted to pull up to avoid a collision, but it was too late.

NTSB investigator Todd Inman confirmed that the flight data showed a last-minute change in pitch before impact.

A split second later, the cockpit voice recorder captured the sound of the crash, followed by silence.

Recovery and Investigation Efforts Continue

In the days following the crash, crews worked tirelessly to retrieve the remains of the Black Hawk from the Potomac River, while authorities recovered the bodies of all 67 victims.

The NTSB has called this a “complex investigation,” with many unanswered questions still looming.

Brice Banning, the lead investigator, noted that the cockpit recordings confirmed a verbal reaction from the pilots before impact.

“The crew reacted, but they had almost no time to respond,” he explained.

Meanwhile, concerns about airspace safety at Reagan National Airport have resurfaced.

The airport has long been known for its congested airspace, where helicopters and passenger jets often cross paths.

FAA records show more than 30 reports of near-midair collisions at Reagan dating back to 1987, with at least 10 involving military aircraft.

Disturbingly, a similar near-miss involving a military helicopter occurred just 24 hours before this fatal crash.

Calls for Change and Political Reactions

In response to the tragedy, the FAA has announced a reduction in the number of arrivals permitted at Reagan National Airport, cutting the limit from 28 to 26 landings per hour to reduce stress on air traffic controllers and create more room for coordination.

Some aviation experts have been warning for years that an accident like this was inevitable due to Reagan’s tight airspace constraints.

Senator Cruz is now urging a full review of all helicopter routes that cross into commercial airspace, calling for stronger oversight and possibly new regulations to prevent future disasters.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump took a different approach, using the incident to criticize diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, arguing that the crash was a result of misplaced priorities in pilot training.

His comments sparked backlash from aviation experts who insist that safety issues, not political agendas, were at the heart of the tragedy.

As the investigation continues, families of the victims are left searching for answers, and the aviation community is bracing for potential changes in airspace management and military flight protocols.

One thing is clear—this crash has reignited a debate on flight safety that is unlikely to fade anytime soon.

This article was published on TDPel Media. Thanks for reading!

Share on Facebook «||» Share on Twitter «||» Share on Reddit «||» Share on LinkedIn