What led to Black Hawk-Jet collision? Missteps, equipment problems and missed warnings that killed 74

Time of India

28-04-2025

On the evening of January 29, a catastrophic midair crash involving an Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet flying over Washington DC killed all 74 individuals on board both aircraft.
This tragedy, one of the most fatal aviation crashes in the United States in almost a quarter-century, occurred as a consequence of a combination of errors and lapses at various levels of the aviation systems and procedures.
These blunders, fueled by human error, inadequate communication, and defective safety protocols, eventually culminated in the devastating crash, as reported by NYT.
Here's all that went wrong that day-
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by Taboola
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Conducting visual separation
The Army Black Hawk flight asked for visual separation, which made them responsible to detect and stay away from other aircraft. But that was mismanaged.
The pilots did not see the approaching American Airlines aircraft (Flight 5342) nor react in time to prevent a collision.
The helicopter kept going along its course without changing its altitude or direction, despite the fact that it was in the landing path of the commercial aircraft.
Helicopter flying too high
The Black Hawk flew higher than it was supposed to be, placing it in airspace shared by Flight 5342's descent path.
This error put the helicopter in a potentially hazardous position in relation to the commercial aircraft, which was descending toward a lower-altitude runway.
Radio communications failures
Radio contact between the helicopter crew and the air traffic controller was inadequate.
The controller's commands were regularly cut off (stepped on) by the crew, possibly resulting in omitted or misunderstood directions.
The last exchange was merely seconds before the crash: the controller commanded the helicopter to "pass behind" Flight 5342, yet the message very likely did not reach the crew because of a second cut-off.
Deactivation of ADS-B out technology
The Black Hawk's ADS-B system was deactivated, according to Army procedure. This system reports real-time tracking information to air traffic controllers, which makes it hard for them to track the helicopter's position in real time.
This absence of real-time tracking helped create confusion in the tower and postponed the identification of possible conflicts.
Controller's failure to take urgent action
Although the controller was aware of a conflict alert in the tower and witnessed the possible collision unfolding, the reaction was insufficient.
At 8:47:39 pm, the controller instructed the Black Hawk crew to fly behind the jet, but the crew failed to respond or react in time.
The controller failed to explicitly update the Black Hawk crew on the position of the jet, nor did he give additional direct instructions for avoiding the collision.
The FAA requires controllers to alert pilots when targets are likely to converge, but this was not carried out with enough urgency here.
Insufficient staffing at national airport
The air traffic controller had to deal with several planes and also handle both military and civilian air traffic. This increased pressure and made it more difficult for him to concentrate solely on the possible confrontation between the helicopter and Flight 5342.
Inaccurate tracking of helicopter's location
Black Hawk's position was updated only between 5 and 12 seconds by its transponder, thereby causing huge time lags to track its positions. This interval made it difficult to end the developing conflict with speed.
Both aircraft were then approximately 1 mile apart during the last contact, but the Black Hawk crew did not reply immediately, further adding to the risk.
The "squeeze play" tactic of the controller
As part of a plan to decongest a congested airspace, the controller had tried to position aircraft into smaller landing windows, adding to the complexity.
This plan, which consisted of pushing planes towards smaller flight paths, might have led to the confusion and inability to appreciate the risk of collision.
Environmental and visibility problems
The crew on the helicopter had night-vision goggles to help them see through low-visibility conditions, but these probably could not resist the glare from the lights in Washington, DC.
Such a natural issue provided a major impediment in viewing other flying aircraft around their vicinity.
Last crucial communication
At 8:47:39 pm (local time), the controller made a final call to the Black Hawk crew: "PAT two-five, do you have the CRJ in sight?" – the CRJ being Flight 5342.
A conflict alert was reported in the tower simultaneously, indicating an approaching threat, but the crew of the Black Hawk did not react. The controller then asked them to "pass behind" the jet, although this instruction was not received as a result of a communication breakdown.
The crew of the Black Hawk then answered positively, asking for visual separation, which was provided by the controller. However, this was the last communication.
Within the seconds that ensued, the helicopter crew did not alter their course. At 8:48:19 p.m., the Black Hawk was just 15 seconds from colliding with the jet. In spite of recommendations to turn left to evade the collision, the helicopter kept going straight towards the approaching jet, which resulted in the crash.
The controller's lost chance for direct action
The controller, even though he heard the conflict alert and was cognizant of the danger, failed to provide clear, immediate orders to the helicopter crew to turn away from the jet.
He failed to tell the Black Hawk crew the precise location of the jet and its path of flight, which would have been in compliance with FAA rules to avoid a collision.
The helicopter crew's inaction
In spite of the last directive to turn left to clear from the approaching jet, the crew of the Black Hawk failed to act in a timely manner. There were no indications of any medical conditions or impairment among the crew, according to investigators, but the inability to respond to air traffic control or change course resulted in the collision.