NTSB: Black Hawk Involved in D.C. Midair May Have Been Flying Too High

Control tower data shows the U.S. Army helicopter was flying at an altitude around 300 feet despite restrictions limiting it to no higher than 200 feet.

Jack Daleo

Wednesday, February 05, 2025 at 12:55 PM ET

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Edited By: tccjeremy

A U.S. Army Black Hawk flies over Washington, D.C. [Credit: Nicholas Priest/U.S. Air Force]

Key Takeaways:

The NTSB reported that the U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter involved in a fatal midair collision likely exceeded its authorized altitude, flying at approximately 300 feet along a route with a maximum permitted altitude of 200 feet.
The collision resulted in the deaths of all 67 people aboard both the Black Hawk and the American Eagle passenger jet.
The NTSB plans to verify preliminary air traffic control data by recovering the Black Hawk from the river and transcribing cockpit voice recorders for both aircraft.
An expert suggested that the use of separate radio frequencies for helicopter and jet operations in D.C. airspace might have contributed to the incident by limiting pilots' awareness of all air traffic control communications.

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The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Tuesday revealed that the U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter involved in a fatal midair collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (KDCA) last week may have been flying higher than authorized.

In an investigative update, the NTSB said data from the airport’s air traffic control tower display showed that the Black Hawk was flying at about 300 feet when it collided with a Bombardier CRJ-700 operating American Eagle Flight 5342, killing all 67 people aboard both aircraft. The data is rounded to the nearest 100 feet, meaning the helicopter may have been as high as 350 feet or as low as 251 feet at the time of the crash.