NTSB to Vote on Probable Cause of Deadly Midair Collision Near Reagan National

The National Transportation Safety Board is expected to vote Tuesday on the probable cause of a midair collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport last year that killed 67, and to recommend changes to prevent similar accidents. The crash involved an Army Black Hawk on a training mission and an American Airlines jet bound from Wichita, Kan., to the Washington area.

Investigative hearings last summer highlighted a mix of systematic failures and pilot errors, and witnesses said the Federal Aviation Administration ignored internal warnings about helicopter routes and that control-tower understaffing strained air traffic controllers. Transcribed interviews in the probe illustrated that military pilots often flew helicopters under incoming planes, and that many Black Hawks operating around the airport either did not turn on or lacked functional advanced tracking technology.

Witnesses also raised concerns about altimeter flaws that could have misled the Black Hawk pilot about altitude, and about the inexperience of the trainee pilot and the hesitance of her instructor. Investigative staffers will present their assessment of how those factors may have contributed and outline a probable chief cause, but the board must vote on a final verdict.

The N.T.S.B. is expected to issue recommendations on routes, equipment and tracking requirements, though it has no regulatory power; the F.A.A.

Key Topics

Politics, Reagan National Airport, Black Hawk Helicopter, American Airlines, Federal Aviation Administration, Advanced Tracking Technology