Hearing conducted by NTSB to examine reasons behind the unfortunate collision between a passenger plane and an Army helicopter in January, resulting in the loss of 67 lives
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is currently conducting investigative hearings regarding a tragic midair collision that occurred on January 29, 2023, between a US Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter and American Airlines Flight 5342, a Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet, near Ronald Reagan National Airport. Sixty-seven people lost their lives in this incident, including 60 passengers and four crew on the plane and three soldiers on the helicopter.
The hearings, scheduled for three days, aim to help determine the cause of the collision. An 11-minute animation detailing the minutes leading up to the collision and the accident itself was shown at the start of the hearing. Cockpit voice recorder transcripts from the helicopter show there was some confusion of what to look for, and the instructor told the student to sidestep the traffic.
However, a key piece of information that has not been fully disclosed is the performance of the barometric altimeters on the Blackhawk helicopter. While the NTSB has begun public hearings investigating the crash, no findings concerning the Blackhawk’s barometric altimeters have been reported so far based on the information available.
The NTSB's preliminary report states that the Blackhawk was consistently higher than maximum published altitudes along the Potomac River, including during the collision with the passenger jet. Moreover, the board presented major "discrepancies" in the altitude readouts on board the US Army Blackhawk helicopter.
The air traffic controller working in the control tower that night was responsible for two different positions on two different radio channels. Only one PSA captain, who was a former military helicopter pilot in the region, had knowledge of the routes prior to the accident. Investigators said interviews with PSA Airline's pilots showed they generally didn't know much about the helicopter routes in the area.
The hearings are not adversarial, but difficult questions will be asked to improve safety. The NTSB will meet Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday to discuss the facts learned in the investigation and is expected to conclude with a determination of what caused the crash in January. Further detailed technical investigation reports by the NTSB or military authorities may reveal such data when published.
[1] Collision between Army helicopter and American Airlines flight kills 67 people near Washington [2] NTSB: Army helicopter was higher than maximum altitudes before midair collision with American Airlines flight [3] NTSB to hold hearings on deadly midair collision between Army helicopter and American Airlines flight [4] Investigators: Army helicopter was consistently higher than maximum altitudes along Potomac River
[5] US Army Blackhawk's barometric altimeters performance a key concern in midair collision investigation [6] Aviation industry, finance, and public-transit sectors focus on NTSB's midair collision findings [7] Accidents and crime-related news dominates general news headlines after tragic midair collision [8] **Politics and policy-and-legislation debates emerge as potential outcomes from the Midair collision hearings, affecting car-accidents, sports-betting, and immigration aspects.
