Investigators have uncovered several factors that contributed to the collision of a US Army helicopter and a passenger plane over Washington last January. 67 people killed in The worst US air disaster since 2001.
The National Transportation Safety Board is scheduled to discuss the investigation’s findings on Tuesday and recommend changes to prevent similar tragedies. Thursday marks one year since the accident.
The NTSB said the helicopter was flying higher than it was supposed to be and that the altimeter the pilots relied on was faulty. In addition, the FAA failed to act on warnings about the dangers surrounding Washington that the National Transportation Safety Board said should have been apparent years ago.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) does this Temporary changes imposed after permanent downtime. The rules stipulate that helicopters and planes cannot share the same airspace around Reagan National Airport, prohibit air traffic controllers from relying on visual separation and require all military aircraft to broadcast their positions.
Below is a timeline of events related to the accident:
At approximately 8:15 p.m., American Airlines Flight 5342, With 64 people On board, it begins its initial descent to Reagan National Airport.
At 8:43, from the airport tower, a controller tells the plane’s pilots to switch from landing on Runway 1 to Runway 33. Nearby, an Army Black Hawk helicopter, referred to as PAT25 by air traffic control, flies south over the river. The sky is clear.
As the helicopter approaches the airport, the cockpit voice recorder captures the pilot saying it is flying at 300 feet (91 m) and the instructor pilot saying it is at 400 feet (122 m). The discrepancy is not explained and the helicopter continues to descend. The permissible height of the helicopter route decreases as you get closer to the airport, and the maximum is 200 feet (61 m).
At 8:46, the controller contacted the Black Hawk crew to tell them that a passenger plane, referred to as a CRJ, was at 1,200 feet (365 meters) and circling runway 33. The helicopter pilots say they see the plane and ask to maintain visual separation — to fly closer than if the pilots did not see the plane. The moderators approve the request.
At 8:47—20 seconds before impact—the controller radioed: “PAT25, do you have a CRJ in sight?” While the conflict alarm sounds. Then again: “PAT25, pass behind CRJ.” But the NTSB said the helicopter’s recorder shows the pilots may not have heard those instructions at all.
One second later, the flight crew receives a collision avoidance alert announcing “Traffic! Traffic!”
A few seconds later, a helicopter crew member answered that the aircraft was “in sight” and again requested “visual separation.”
After landing just after its last recorded altitude of 313 feet (95 m), the pilots sharply raised the nose of the plane in an evasive maneuver one second before impact.
Then a noise is heard over the sound of the tower. A flash appears in the sky, and both planes fall into the river. Moments later someone said over the radio: “Tower, did you see that?”
In the hours and days that follow, crews search the cold Potomac for survivors.
In the morning, President Donald Trump told reporters that there were no survivors. By midday, the bodies of the three soldiers on board the helicopter were recovered.
About 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) downriver, Dean Naujox, who patrols the Potomac for the Waterkeeper Alliance, found pages from a flight manual, a piece of an airplane cabin wall and dozens of sugar packets stamped with the American Airlines logo.
In the evening, cockpit voice recorders and flight data are sent to the NTSB laboratory.
Officials announced the Black Hawk’s black box It has been recovered The flight data is now being reviewed along with the actions of the military pilot and air traffic control.
By noon today, the remains of 41 people had been recovered.
The Army names two of the dead soldiers: Sgt. Ryan Austin O’Hara, 28, of Lilburn, Georgia, crew chief; and Chief Petty Officer 2 Andrew Lloyd Ives, 39, of Great Mills, Maryland.
Investigators say they are trying to resolve the discrepancy in altitude data between the helicopter and the plane. They hope the helicopter’s black box will help settle the difference. The box is waterlogged, which delays data retrieval.
The Army identified the third soldier: Captain Rebecca M. Laubach. Her friends describe her as “brilliant and brave.”
Officials say the remains of 55 victims have been recovered. A salvage crew prepares to lift wreckage from the Potomac.
The crew recovers parts of the plane while families gather along the Potomac River.
Crews are working in volatile conditions to lift a number of large pieces from the plane.
Authorities say the remains of all 67 victims of the collision have been recovered.
Memorials to the victims begin. A North Carolina flight attendant is being remembered as a beloved family member who loved his career.
Crews are finishing removing major components of the helicopter and jet from the river. NTSB investigators are examining the wreckage in a secure hangar.
Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz says NTSB officials told senators that the helicopter’s ADS-B system — the surveillance automatic broadcast system that transmits location and other data to traffic controllers and other aircraft — was malfunctioning.
NTSB offers Latest update This raises doubts about whether helicopter pilots have accurate information about their altitude.
Investigators concluded their work upon the crash, but continued to interview, test and examine the wreckage of both planes.
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Federal investigators are recommending banning some helicopter flights near Reagan National Airport, saying the setup “poses an intolerable risk.” Transport Minister Sean Duffy adopted those recommendations.
Duffy said the helicopters were no longer able to fly under the landing craft.
The FAA will also use artificial intelligence to analyze airport data for similar risks elsewhere. Duffy said the FAA should have recognized the risks at Reagan Airport earlier.
The acting head of the Federal Aviation Administration told Congress that the agency must do a better job of addressing safety risks.
The NTSB Chairman and members of Congress once again questioned how the FAA could not address a problem An alarming number of close calls Near Reagan Airport before the accident.
“We have to identify trends, we have to be smarter about how we use data, and when we put corrective actions in place, we have to implement them,” said Chris Rocheleau, the agency’s acting administrator at the time.
A federal audit conducted after the Washington collision reveals dangerous flying conditions at Las Vegas Airport and leads the FAA to impose new restrictions on helicopter flights around Harry Reid International Airport.
The agency says the changes reduced the number of collision alerts in Las Vegas by 30%. Rocheleau promised to take additional action in Las Vegas and at any other airport where the FAA identifies concerns.
The Army stopped helicopter flights near Reagan after that Two commercial planes canceled landings Because of an Army Black Hawk helicopter flying into the Pentagon.
12th Aviation Battalion temporarily stops the helicopter Flights near the airport.
The unit was just beginning to return to flying, with plans to gradually increase its numbers.
Two different aircraft were instructed by air traffic control to “conduct circuit runs” due to a “priority air transport” helicopter.
Duffy announced a plan to reform the antiquated system used by air traffic controllers. The parts are still based on floppy disks and the manufacturer no longer makes them.
the plan It calls for the creation of six new air traffic control centers, along with modernization of technology and communications at U.S. air traffic facilities before 2029. Congress approved $12.5 billion as a down payment. Another $20 billion is needed, Duffy said.
The Federal Aviation Administration has already allocated more than $6 billion for the project. The agency has upgraded some of the system to more modern communications. Peraton He will oversee the rest of the repair process.
The NTSB questioned FAA, Army and airline officials over three days.
The hearings highlighted the fact that the helicopter’s altimeter was faulty, and that the pilots’ night vision goggles made spotting the plane more difficult.
It also became clear that controllers had warned the Federal Aviation Administration years earlier about the dangers of helicopters in the crowded airspace around the nation’s Capitol, but no changes had been made.
Jennifer Homendy, head of the NTSB, rebuked the FAA.
“Are you kidding me? Sixty-seven people died! How do you explain that? Our bureaucratic process?” She said. “Fix it. Do better.”