NTSB Indicates Black Hawk Crew Might Not Have Received Order to Approach Plane – One America News Network
OAN Staff Abril Elfi
10:27 AM – Saturday, February 15, 2025
Investigators of the D.C. plane crash have indicated that the Black Hawk crew might not have received the directive to follow behind the airplane.
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On Friday, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairman Jennifer Homendy reported that there was no evidence suggesting that the U.S. Army Black Hawk crew was aware of the imminent collision prior to their crash with the American Airlines flight.
The NTSB further noted that the helicopter crew might have been misinformed regarding their altitude by the altimeter, as the pilots’ reported elevations fluctuated in the moments leading to the crash.
One pilot estimated their altitude at 400 feet, while the other believed they were at 300 feet.
The NTSB stated that the actual altitude of the helicopter at the time of impact remains uncertain.
“We are examining the potential for inaccurate data,” Homendy explained.
According to the NTSB, the crew may not have heard the tower’s command instructing the helicopter to proceed behind the airplane, as the pilot transmitted her radio communication simultaneously, obstructing the ATC transmission.
Homendy mentioned that the Black Hawk crew was likely wearing night vision goggles during the flight.
The Black Hawk was participating in an annual training flight and a night vision goggle evaluation for one of the pilots when it crashed, as noted by Homendy. She emphasized that this serves as a practical test that a pilot must pass for certain positions.
She commended Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy for promptly limiting helicopter operations around Reagan Airport following the crash.
Homendy remarked that it is “too early to determine” whether such restrictions should be made permanent.
The helicopter collided with an American Airlines regional flight that was landing at Reagan after departing from Wichita, Kansas, on the evening of January 29th, resulting in the tragic deaths of all 64 individuals on the aircraft and three on the helicopter.
The ongoing investigation aims to determine the cause of the crash.
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