‘They Didn’t Learn:’ Former Army Pilot Calls for Change

As the DOT eyes reforms, a Black Hawk veteran says Army aviation has ‘normalized unsafe acts’ after a crash that killed 67—including his son.

Ryan Ewing

Friday, May 09, 2025 at 07:00 AM ET

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Ryan Ewing

Black Hawk helicopter over Washington [Credit: U.S. Air Force/Nicholas A. Priest]

Key Takeaways:

A recent close call involving an Army Black Hawk helicopter and two commercial jets near Reagan National Airport (KDCA) has raised renewed safety concerns, four months after a fatal collision with another Black Hawk from the same battalion killed 67 people.
The FAA and Army dispute whose procedures were followed in the latest incident, leading to frustration from victim families, who accuse the Army of "stonewalling" and failing to learn from past tragedies.
Tim Lilley, father of a pilot lost in the January collision, is actively advocating for aviation safety reforms and funding for air traffic control modernization, highlighting a history of "normalized unsafe acts" by military aircraft around KDCA.
Following the recent incident, the 12th Aviation Battalion has again suspended flights to the Pentagon, with calls for systemic changes in military operations and transport practices in the busy D.C. airspace.

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On May 1, another close call made headlines near Reagan National Airport (KDCA) in Washington, D.C. This time, the incident involved two commercial jets—a Delta Air Lines A319 and a Republic Airways E170—and a Black Hawk helicopter from the Army’s 12th Aviation Battalion.

The helicopter’s crew took a “scenic route,” the FAA claimed, deviating from its planned route to the Pentagon. This divergence prompted a controller at Reagan National to call for go-arounds of the two jets.