5 Takeaways From The Times's Investigation Into the Jan. 29 Collision at National Airport

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Source: New York Times

5 Takeaways From The Times's Investigation Into the Jan. 29 Collision at National Airport

New details show that the failures leading up to the midair collision of a regional jet and an Army helicopter were more complex than previously known.


The control tower at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in February. Kent Nishimura for The New York Times

By Kate Kelly and Mark Walker
Reporting from Washington
April 27, 2025, 5:04 a.m. ET

It is clear that something went terribly wrong the night of Jan. 29, when an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines regional jet over the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan National Airport, killing everyone on board the aircraft.

But one error did not cause the worst domestic crash in the United States in nearly a quarter-century. Modern aviation is designed to have redundancies and safeguards that prevent a misstep, or even several missteps, from being catastrophic. On Jan. 29, that system collapsed, a New York Times investigation found.

Up to now, attention has focused on the Black Hawk's altitude, which was too high and placed it directly in the jet's landing path. But The Times uncovered new details showing that the failures were far more complex than previously understood.

Here are five takeaways from the investigation:

{snip}

Kate Kelly covers money, policy and influence for The Times.
https://www.nytimes.com/by/kate-kelly

Mark Walker is an investigative reporter focused on transportation. He is based in Washington.
https://www.nytimes.com/by/mark-walker

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/27/us/politics/takeaways-investigation-airport-collision.html