Congressional report finds Army at fault for Potomac plane crash
A bipartisan congressional report concludes the U.S. Army was at fault in the Jan. 29 midair collision between a civilian airliner and an Army Black Hawk near Reagan National Airport. Released by Rep. william Timmons (R-SC) and Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA) as “The DCA Incident: Assessing the Military’s Role in the National Airspace Tragedy,” the report cites poor dialogue between the army and DCA and failures to follow precautions. Investigators found that the Black Hawk pilots’ night-vision goggles limited visibility, a key transponder on the helicopter was not broadcasting, the Army lacked adequate knowledge of DCA airspace, and a DoD-DCA hotline was offline. The report notes about 30 near misses overall and calls for clearer military flight protocols, better training, and regular audits of DoD flight operations. Earlier this month the Justice department formally admitted the government breached its duty of care in the crash.
Congressional report finds Army at fault for Potomac plane crash
Congress released a bipartisan report on Monday putting the U.S. Army at fault over the Jan. 29 mid-air collision of a civilian airliner and an Army Black Hawk helicopter.
Subcommittee on Military and Foreign Affairs Chairman William Timmons (R-SC) and ranking member Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA) released their report, “The DCA Incident: Assessing the Military’s Role in the National Airspace Tragedy,” nearly 11 months after the crash. The report blamed a lack of communication between the Army and DCA and the neglect of several precautions on the fatal crash, several of which were the fault of the Army.
In a joint statement, Timmons and Subramanyam called for changes at the Army, saying the crash and investigation showed a need for vigilance.
“The tragic accident at DCA on January 29th and thirty near misses overall have revealed that the military’s current operations fall woefully short of keeping both military personnel and American civilians safe in Washington, D.C. airspace. Several briefings on this issue have highlighted the pressing need for clearer military flight protocols, enhanced training, and regular audits of flight operations and capabilities within the DoD,” they said.
“It is crucial that military personnel are given the tools and training they need to navigate this complex airspace and prevent accidents and miscommunications like these from ever happening again,” the duo continued, adding that it was committed to the investigation and further oversight.
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Among the findings of the report was that the night vision goggles worn by the Black Hawk pilots obscured their vision, a key transponder in the Black Hawk was not broadcasting during the fateful flight, the Army’s knowledge of DCA airspace is lacking, and that the DoD to DCA hotline was offline.
Earlier this month, the U.S. government admitted fault in the January crash. The Justice Department wrote that the United States “admits that it owed a duty of care to Plaintiffs, which it breached, thereby proximately causing the tragic accident on January 29, 2025.”
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