Fort Novosel team in D.C. for deadly airliner crash investigation

Yahoo

31-01-2025

DOTHAN, Ala (WDHN) — A team from the Home of Army Aviation is in the nation's capital to help investigate the cause of a deadly crash between an Army Black Hawk and a passenger airliner.
ABC reported that the investigation team from the Fort Novosel Army Combat Readiness Center arrived in D.C. Thursday night. The team will support the National Transportation Safety Board in its investigation.
Blackhawk crashes into airliner, leaving over 60 dead
Fort Novosel is the Home of Army Aviation and the place where most military helicopter pilots train. It is also where most of the Army's Blackhawks are stationed.
They conduct 14 to 23 weeks of qualified training in UH-60 Black Hawks, AH-64 Apache, and CH-47 Chinooks.
The deadly mid-air crash occurred Wednesday evening, when the Black Hawk collided with American Airlines Flight 5342, just off of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
The plane, which had departed from Wichita, Kansas, was approaching the airport over the Potomac River at the time of the crash.
Search continues in D.C. plane crash
Officials confirmed there were no survivors in the crash, with a death-toll of sixty-seven. There were 64 passengers aboard the flight and three army soldiers in the Black Hawk.
According to reports, the three soldiers of the Black Hawk were all experienced and had thousands of hours of flight time between them. They were also well-versed with the flight patterns above the Potomac River.
It is not uncommon for Fort Novosel to send investigators when an a crash occurs involving an Army Aviation helicopter. In April 2023, the installation sent a safety investigation team to rural Alaska after an Apache crash killed three aviators and injured a fourth.
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