WASHINGTON, D.C. — It was one year ago tonight when the airspace over our nation’s capital turned into a scene of unimaginable tragedy.
It was a cold January evening, shortly before 9:00pm ET, when an unimaginable tragedy rattled the capital region and the country. An American Airlines regional jet and a military helicopter collided midair near Reagan National Airport over the Potomac River, killing 67 people.
After piecing together the tragic collision, the National Transportation Safety Board has shared its findings this week following its one-year investigation.
“The helicopter’s main rotor contacted the underside of the airplane’s left wing, resulting in the outboard section of the wing separating in flight,” said NTSB investigator Brice Banning. “Video evidence showed both aircraft rapidly descending and impacting the water after the collision.”
New animated simulations show the moments leading up to the collision from three points of view — the U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter, Flight 5342 and the air traffic control tower at Reagan National Airport.
The investigation found there was not one person or single entity that is to blame. Rather, it was a systemic failure.
“Deep underlying systemic failures, system flaws aligned to create the conditions that led to this devastating tragedy. From design of our airspace around DCA to the limitations of see and avoid, which we’ve been warning about for over five decades, to failures of entire organizations to evaluate and act on readily available data, heed repeated recommendations, and foster robust safety cultures, to name a few,” said NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy.
“Any individual shortcomings were set up for failure by the systems around them. We are not here today to place blame on any individual or any organization,” said NTSB board member Michael Graham. “But we are here to ensure those systems that failed never fail again.”
Officials point to failures in airspace design, failures in safety systems and failures to act on warnings that had existed for decades.
“We should be angry because for years no one listened,” said Homendy. “This was 100% preventable, frankly… Having a helicopter route crossing Runway 33 with only 75 feet separating a helicopter and civilian aircraft — nowhere in the airspace is that OK.”
The NTSB released a total of 74 findings and 50 safety recommendations, targeting the airspace around Reagan, training, routing and safety oversight. Officials say the investigation was only the first step.
“Now the important work, the hard work, begins. That means relentlessly, vigorously pursuing safety change,” said Homendy.
