The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has announced a three-day investigative hearing set to examine the midair collision between an American Airlines passenger jet and a military helicopter that occurred over Washington, D.C., in January.
This hearing is scheduled to take place from July 30 to August 1 in Washington and will be available for livestream viewing. The NTSB plans to provide further details, including an agenda and a list of witnesses, in the upcoming weeks.
The NTSB, tasked with investigating civilian transportation accidents, often collaborates with other agencies during such investigations. A preliminary report regarding the D.C. incident has already been published, which suggested implementing restrictions on helicopter operations near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (KDCA).
The incident occurred as the American Airlines flight was nearing Reagan National when it collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter conducting a nighttime training mission. Tragically, both aircraft crashed into the Potomac River, resulting in the loss of all 67 individuals on board.
This accident has sparked serious concerns regarding staffing levels at the FAA’s Air Traffic Control (ATC) facilities, as well as the operational safety of military aircraft in close proximity to commercial flights.
Reports indicate that there were multiple near misses around Reagan National prior to the accident, with additional close encounters arising in the months following the crash. Notably, in March, collision warnings were triggered in the cockpit of a Delta Air Lines flight following a near miss with a U.S. Air Force T-38 jet en route from Langley Air Force Base in Virginia.
This collision over the nation’s capital marked the first significant crash involving a U.S. commercial passenger flight since the Colgan Air Flight 3407 disaster 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/
