Flags at Department of Transportation and FAA offices were lowered Thursday to mark the one-year anniversary of a midair collision over Washington, D.C., that killed 67 people.
The DOT said it also invited Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (KDCA) and Washington Dulles International Airport (KIAD) to fly their flags at half-staff for the day.
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American Airlines Flight 5342 was preparing to land at Washington National exactly one year ago when it collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River. The three Army personnel on board the Black Hawk were also killed in the crash.
“While 12 months have passed, the loss of those 67 souls and the impact it had on their loved ones, their communities, and the country remains painfully fresh,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement. “I want to once again extend my deepest condolences to our impacted families, as well as express gratitude to the countless emergency service workers who responded instantaneously. Nothing can return those cherished 67 souls, but we have and will continue to push to ensure no family ever has to experience such heartbreak again.”
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said this week that multiple “systemic failures” contributed to the crash, including poor helicopter route design near Washington National, understaffing at the ATC facility overseeing the airport, and a lack of flight safety planning and analysis on the part of the Army. The agency also released dozens of recommendations intended to prevent a similar collision.
A final report from the NTSB is expected in the coming weeks.
