NTSB calls 3-day hearing into PSA Airlines-Black Hawk crash

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is set to conduct a three-day investigative hearing focused on the circumstances surrounding a tragic mid-air collision involving a PSA Airlines operated American Eagle flight and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter.

On January 29, 2025, 64 individuals aboard the American Eagle Bombardier CRJ700, along with three crew members on the helicopter, lost their lives when the incident took place over the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).

The NTSB has confirmed that the hearing will occur from July 30 to August 1, 2025, with various witnesses anticipated to provide testimony.

The proceedings will be hosted in the NTSB boardroom in Washington, where they will be livestreamed for public access. Active participation will be restricted to NTSB board members, investigators, witnesses, and other parties involved in the hearing.

In a statement released on June 10, 2025, the NTSB emphasized the purpose of such hearings: “The NTSB conducts investigative hearings to assist in obtaining information necessary to determine the facts and circumstances of transportation accidents or incidents under investigation.”

NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy noted on February 14, 2025, that a communication from Air Traffic Control (ATC) instructing the Black Hawk crew to pass behind the PSA Airlines CRJ700 was audible on both aircraft’s Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) just 17 seconds prior to the collision.

However, the CVR data from the helicopter suggested that the critical segment of that instruction, which included “pass behind the,” might not have been clearly received by the Black Hawk crew.

Previous statements from the NTSB indicated that the Black Hawk’s radio altitude at the moment of the crash was recorded at 278 feet, surpassing the area’s 200 feet limit.

Additionally, a point of contention expected to be highlighted during the hearing is the fact that the Black Hawk helicopter lacked operational Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) technology at the time of the collision with the passenger plane.