Members of the National Transportation Safety Board speak before an investigative hearing about the January midair collision between an American Airlines regional jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
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Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images
Three days of hearings conducted by federal investigators this week have provided new insights into the tragic midair collision last January between an American Airlines regional jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter just outside Washington, D.C.
All 67 individuals on board both aircraft were killed in the crash, making it the deadliest aviation accident in the U.S. in decades.
Here are some of the major revelations from the National Transportation Safety Board hearing.
The Army helicopter’s altimeter may have been incorrect — and this was not uncommon
On the evening of Jan. 29, the three-person crew on the Black Hawk helicopter was on a training mission near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) in Arlington, Va., traveling south along the Potomac River. At the same time, a PSA Airlines flight originating from Wichita, Kan., with two pilots, two flight attendants, and 60 passengers was approaching the airport for landing.
The two aircraft collided around 8:48 p.m. ET, crashing into the cold river below.
Investigators revealed that the collision occurred at an altitude of 278 feet, even though the Army helicopter should not have been flying above 200 feet in that part of the route. NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy had previously mentioned that the Black Hawk pilots may not have been aware of their altitude because their barometric altimeter could have been displaying incorrect information.
