The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has announced a three-day investigative hearing to examine the midair collision between an American Airlines passenger plane and a military helicopter over Washington, D.C., which occurred in January.
This hearing is scheduled for July 30 to August 1 in Washington, D.C., and will be available for livestream viewing. The NTSB plans to provide additional details, including an agenda and a list of witnesses, in the upcoming weeks.
The NTSB, which oversees the investigation of civilian transportation incidents, sometimes collaborates with other agencies during its investigations. A preliminary report regarding the Washington D.C. incident has already been published, recommending limitations on helicopter operations in the area surrounding Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (KDCA).
The American Airlines flight was in the process of landing at Reagan National when it collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter that was conducting a nighttime training exercise. Both aircraft subsequently plunged into the Potomac River, resulting in the tragic loss of all 67 individuals aboard.
This tragic accident has sparked serious concerns regarding the staffing levels at the FAA’s Air Traffic Control (ATC) facilities and the management of military aircraft operating near commercial flights.
Reports indicate that there have been numerous near misses at and around Reagan National in the years preceding the crash, with additional close calls reported in the months that followed. In March, collision alarms were activated in the cockpit of a Delta Air Lines flight due to a near encounter with a U.S. Air Force T-38 jet traveling from Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, Virginia.
Significantly, this collision marked the first major crash involving a U.S. commercial passenger flight since the Colgan Air Flight 3407 incident in New York in 2009.
Based on an article from flyingmag.com: https://www.flyingmag.com/ntsb-to-conduct-three-day-hearing-on-fatal-midair-collision/
