The crew of the Black Hawk helicopter that collided with an American Airlines jet above the Potomac River last month might not have heard important instructions from air traffic control and could have been viewing erroneous flight data, investigators said on Friday.
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) chair Jenniffer Homendy indicated that the recording taken from the helicopter suggested that the crew could have missed instructions just before the collision.
Investigators are currently analyzing flight data recorders from the helicopter and the airplane, according to The Baltimore Banner.
Homendy further stated that the helicopter was engaged in check flight when one of the pilots was being tested on the use of night vision goggles and using instruments during flight.
NTSB Chair @JenniferHomendy: "17 seconds before impact, a radio transmission from the tower...directing the Blackhawk to pass behind...the portion of the transmission that stated 'pass behind the' may not have been received by the Blackhawk crew."
NTSB Chair @JenniferHomendy: "17 seconds before impact, a radio transmission from the tower...directing the Blackhawk to pass behind...the portion of the transmission that stated 'pass behind the' may not have been received by the Blackhawk crew." pic.twitter.com/jq8QnqBCoc
— CSPAN (@cspan) February 14, 2025
UPDATE - NTSB finished its preliminary, 1 month, investigation on the mid-air crash over Reagan National airport.
— Joe Khalil (@JoeKhalilTV) February 14, 2025
NTSB administrator @JenniferHomendy:
-no evidence crew removed night vision goggle
-Blackhawk helicopter crew might not have heard “circling the runway” alert… pic.twitter.com/Z9egTDNLHP
The crash killed 67 people, including the pilots and passengers on both aircraft, marking the deadliest such incident since 2001.
Homendy explained that the Black Hawk crew did not hear the air traffic controller telling them to “pass behind” the airplane. She also said the helicopter’s pilot stated that the aircraft was at 300 feet. However, the instructor pilot believed it was at 400 feet, suggesting they were looking at different data.
The crash sparked speculation about what caused the collision. It was reported that one of the air traffic controllers on duty during the incident was working two positions simultaneously, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The report further noted that “The position configuration was not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic.”
There was plenty of blame going around in the minutes after the crash. Democrats like Rep. Jasmine Crockett (R-TX) falsely claimed that President Donald Trump’s hiring freeze included air traffic controllers, which somehow led to the crash.
President Trump and others claimed that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) caused the crash, intimating that those involved were not qualified for their positions. However, there has been no evidence so far showing this to be the case.
Data released last week suggested that the helicopter was flying higher than it was supposed to just before the collision, according to a statement released by the NTSB. “This data showed the Black Hawk was at 300 feet on the air traffic control display at the time of the collision. This data is rounded to the nearest 100 feet,” the statement read.
The investigation into the crash continues as the nation waits for more information to emerge.