Accidents
NTSB Probable Cause Cites FAA Lapses in DCA Collision
Hearing resulted in 50 recommendations to the FAA, U.S. Army, and other agencies
NTSB image showing DCA midair collision
The Jan. 29, 2025 midair collision between a U.S. Army Black Hawk Helicopter and PSA Airlines CRJ700 killed 67 people and changed the way helicopter and fixed-wing traffic operates in the busy Washington, D.C. airspace. © NTSB

During yesterday’s NTSB hearing on the Jan. 29, 2025 midair collision of a U.S. Army Sikorsky UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter and a PSA Airlines CRJ700 about a half mile southeast of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (KDCA), the board released its probable cause for the accident.

“We determined that the probable cause of this accident was the FAA’s placement of a helicopter route in close proximity to a runway approach path; their failure to regularly review and evaluate helicopter routes and available data; and their failure to act on recommendations to mitigate the risk of a midair collision near [KDCA], as well as the air traffic system’s overreliance on visual separation in order to promote efficient traffic flow without consideration for the limitations of the see-and-avoid concept.”

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