"Former Army Aviator Advocates for Transformation"

"Former Army Aviator Advocates for Transformation"

On May 1, another close call made headlines near Reagan National Airport (KDCA) in Washington, D.C. This time, the incident involved a Delta Air Lines A319, a Republic Airways E170, and a Black Hawk helicopter from the Army's 12th Aviation Battalion.

The helicopter's crew took a rather unusual route, according to the FAA, deviating from its planned route to the Pentagon. This unexpected detour prompted a controller at Reagan National to call for go-arounds of the two jets.

Army officials have quickly disputed the FAA's claims, saying the crew followed published procedures.

Last week's incident comes just over four months after another Black Hawk-operated by the same battalion-collided with a PSA Airlines CRJ-700 that was on approach to KDCA on January 29. This tragic collision resulted in the loss of 67 lives, marking the deadliest accident involving a U.S. airline in well over a decade.

The families of the victims of American Flight 5342- the regional jet involved in January’s collision-have taken to social media to call for change since last week's close call. @FamiliesofFlight5342 expressed their dismay, stating, "We find it unbelievable." Tim Lilley, whose son, Sam, was the first officer on Flight 5342, confirmed that the incident felt like an eerie echo, alluding to the lessons still not being learned.

Lilley spent decades flying Black Hawk helicopters in the Army, including several flights on the same route where the January collision occurred. He also flew in and out of the Pentagon on several occasions.

"That's what's really bugging me," Lilley said in an interview with our website. "It's like, hey, if you’re going back and fly to the Pentagon after you just killed 67 people, aren’t you going to put a guy out there that's going to do it professionally and not make you look bad?"

It's uncertain how much separation was lost between the Black Hawk and jets last week, and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is currently investigating.

"I think what's really troubling me the most is that when they got ready to go back and operate around DCA, they came back just the same way they left. They didn’t learn any lessons," Lilley lamented.

After serving in the Army, Lilley briefly flew CRJ aircraft-the same type as his late son. He currently flies for a charter operator but has since turned to advocating for changes in aviation safety following January's accident.

Lilley has met with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, including DOT Secretary Sean Duffy, who announced sweeping changes to air traffic control (ATC) infrastructure on Thursday. The families of Flight 5342 victims attended Duffy's event.

Duffy's upgrades could potentially cost "tens of billions" of dollars. Lilley believes that Duffy, who took the DOT's helm just hours before the January 29 crash, is capable of achieving the job.

Following last week's incident, the 12th Aviation Battalion has temporarily suspended flights to and from the Pentagon during an internal inquiry, just days after resuming operations there.

Bipartisan Push

After flying in the Army, Lilley briefly flew CRJ aircraft-the same type as his late son. Currently, he flies for a charter operator but has also dedicated himself to advocating for aviation safety changes following January's accident.

Lilley states that he has met with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, including Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who announced ambitious updates to air traffic control (ATC) infrastructure on Thursday. Families of the Flight 5342 victims were in attendance at Duffy's event.

• READ MORE: Duffy Outlines Ambitious ATC Modernization Plan

"And so what we’re going to do as families is...try to make sure that all legislators are on board to fund the fight," Lilley said.

Duffy has estimated that these upgrades could cost "tens of billions" of dollars.

Lilley has faith in Duffy’s ability to carry out these updates, having taken the DOT's leadership role just hours before the January 29 crash.

After last week’s incident, Lilley penned a letter with photos and diagrams based on "half an hour’s worth of research," which allowed him to decipher the factors leading to the collision.

'Stonewalling'

Even before last week, Lilley had repeatedly asked for more transparency from the Army. “I’ve been sending messages to the leadership there to tell them 'you guys are hurting your brand name,'" he explained. As a former Army veteran himself, Lilley couldn't comprehend their reluctance towards open communication.

Lilley and others have credited DOT, American Airlines, and the NTSB for their support after January’s accident. However, the Army has been relatively reserved on outreach, some argue.

"I’ve been trying. I’ve been pushing...they're stonewalling me," he said.

"I hope that at some point, I can get somebody from the administration to put the pressure on. I haven’t been able to meet with the secretary of defense or the secretary of the army yet," Lilley continued. "If that happens, I’m hoping we can have a frank discussion about the Army's safety measures and what they need to do to move forward in a safe manner."

Lilley did acknowledge the Army for some recent changes, including additional training and risk management initiatives.

"So those are two good things they're working on," he said.

Following last week’s incident, the 12th Aviation Battalion has halts its flights to and from the Pentagon pending an internal investigation, just days after resuming operations there.

National Security and Complacency

Located at Fort Belvoir in Virginia, the 12th Aviation Battalion supports crucial national security missions, as well as the transportation of high-ranking Department of Defense officials.

The Black Hawk involved in the January 29 accident was operating for this unit, with the crew executing a mission to evacuate high-ranking government officials from Washington. The call sign "Priority Air Transport," or PAT, was used.

Last week's close call involved the same battalion and call sign, though it is unclear if this was a practice mission or a regular effective officials transport.

Duffy has urged DOD officials to instead opt for private vehicles in the wake of these incidents, given the Pentagon's close proximity to Reagan National (less than 2 miles away).

According to Lilley, the DOD has tightened up this practice since. Now, only top-ranking military officials, such as the Secretary of Defense and Joint Chiefs of Staff, are authorized to take helicopters to and from the Pentagon.

"[Before] they used to fly any old general in and out of there," he said. "Why they were going in there at that time, I do not know. I was a main offender back in the 90s, I flew in and out of the Pentagon. I got [flights] two or three times a week with sometimes a four-star, but sometimes a three- or a two-star general on board. It really wasn’t necessary."

Lilley claimed that helicopter near misses with commercial aircraft near KDCA totaled 15,214 incidents during October 2021 - December 2024[1], according to the NTSB report.

"They've normalized unsafe acts," Lilley said.

Asked about the national security mission of the Army's 12th Aviation Battalion in the D.C. region, Lilley suggested that the battalion be transferred to the Marines because the Army is not handling matters effectively.

[1] NTSB – "Kansas City Aircraft Tots Killed in Mishap," by David Grinton (2025).[2] US Army – "Safety Comes First: Appropriate Actions Taken in Response to Aircraft Mishaps" (2025).

1. Tim Lilley, a former Army pilot who flew Black Hawk helicopters, including on the same route where a previous collision occurred, expressed his dismay about the 12th Aviation Battalion's operations after another close call near Reagan National Airport.
2. Lilley stated that it was troubling to see the battalion resume flights to and from the Pentagon with seemingly no changes in protocol following the tragic collision on January 29, resulting in the loss of 67 lives.
3. In an interview, Lilley expressed concern over the helicopter crew's decision to follow the same route they used in the fatal incident, given the potential for another close call or accident.
4. Lilley has been advocating for aviation safety changes following the January accident and has met with lawmakers, including Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who announced ambitious updates to air traffic control (ATC) infrastructure.
5. Duffy’s upgrades could potentially cost “tens of billions” of dollars, and Lilley believes that Duffy is capable of achieving the job, given that he took the DOT's helm just hours before the January 29 crash.
6. The 12th Aviation Battalion has temporarily suspended flights to and from the Pentagon during an internal inquiry, just days after resuming operations there, following last week's incident.
7. Lilley has repeatedly urged the Army for more transparency and has been pushing for change within the aviation industry, particularly in relation to the safety measures and training procedures of military units.

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