The Army has identified several “systematic failures” — including broken radio communications, altimeter errors and bright local lighting — that contributed to the Jan. 29, 2025 mid-air collision between an Army UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter and a commercial jet over the Potomac River, the service said.
The crash killed three soldiers aboard the helicopter and 64 people on an American Airlines flight arriving at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport from Wichita, Kansas. The Army released its investigation report on Oct. 8; the report was completed in May.
The helicopter, flying under the call sign “Priority Air Transport 25” or “PAT 25,” was on a training flight and assigned to the 12th Aviation Battalion. The Army found the crew was qualified for the flight.
The “most salient contributing factor,” according to the report, was two broken radio transmissions. As a result, the PAT 25 crew did not receive communications from the air traffic controller at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, including information about incoming civilian air traffic. Those transmissions “could have enabled them to positively identify” the civilian plane and “maintain visual separation,” the Army noted.
The report also cited bad weather and conditions, as well as instrument errors, as contributing factors.
Other Army news
In separate developments, the Army announced new training and equipment initiatives this month:
- Air defenders from the 52nd Air Defense Artillery Brigade and aviators from the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade conducted a bilateral exercise, Operation Skyfall II, on Oct. 6, 2026, at the Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, to practice coordinating ground-based air defense and aviation assets in contested environments.
- Helicopter pilots with the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade completed the Army’s first-ever test flights of the Advanced Inflight Relief Universal System (AIRUS) at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, from Oct. 5 to 7. The system, developed by aerospace medical company AIRION, is designed to let pilots relieve themselves in flight so they can stay hydrated during prolonged missions. Crews from 1-101 Attack Battalion “No Mercy,” 6-101 Assault Helicopter Battalion “Eagle Assault” and 7-101 Heavy Lift Battalion “Eagle Lift” participated in the evaluation.
The Army’s investigation into the crash was first reported by The Washington Post, and a copy of the report was subsequently published online by Politico.
Sources: DVIDS News · DVIDS News