The U.S. Army has identified systemic failures behind the January 2025 midair collision between an American Airlines regional jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, according to a previously undisclosed investigative report completed in May and seen by Reuters. The collision killed 67 people.
The report, released publicly on Oct. 8, 2026, said the key factor was two broken radio transmissions that left the helicopter crew without critical details from air traffic control. It also found technical issues with the Black Hawk, a pattern of helicopter crews failing to fly semiannual minimum hours, and a lack of Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance systems on many helicopters in the Army battalion — including the one involved in the crash.
The report faulted FAA air traffic control for using non-standard terminology for directing air traffic and providing incomplete traffic advisories. It also said Army coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration on helicopter incidents in the Washington area before the collision was lacking, and that a working group did not discuss airspace violations, near-miss reports, or pilot deviations.
The report noted the helicopter was not providing key safety location data, known as ADS-B Out, due to improper maintenance. After the incident, the Army issued an urgent safety message to inspect all Army aircraft transponders, and all 3,600 Army helicopters were inspected by July 2025. The report also said the Army had not addressed issues that led to the helicopter providing inaccurate altitude data, and it proposed recommendations to address that issue. It also called for more advanced night vision equipment for pilots.
The report recommended improved training for military pilots around Washington and Baltimore commercial airports and reviews of Army helicopter operations near major cities in the United States, South Korea, Japan and Germany.
National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said in an Oct. 1 letter to the Army that it had made significant progress in addressing its recommendations from the collision, but added that more work was needed as the Army’s aviation safety system failed to consistently detect, interpret,and act on signals of latent hazards, resulting in degraded safety assurance, organizational learning,and safety culture.
The Army said in a statement on Thursday that it has implemented stronger training and surveillance checks, completed new helicopter safety inspections,and testing on altitude awareness, and is pursuing an FAA data-sharing agreement to help identify potential midair collision risks.
The family of First Officer Sam Lilley, who was killed in the collision, said the Army report shows the system failed everyone that night, acknowledging failures involving known altimeter issues, near-miss reporting, training, risk mitigation,and safety culture.
Sources: Military.com · DVIDS News