U.S. Government Admits Fault in D.C. Midair Collision

Attorney acknowledges mistakes by Army helicopter crew and air traffic controller.

Zach Vasile

Thursday, December 18, 2025 at 01:15 PM ET

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Edited By:

Travis Tingle

The crash site in the Potomac River [Credit: Getty Images/Win McNamee]

Key Takeaways:

The U.S. government has admitted culpability for the January midair collision between an American Airlines flight and an Army Black Hawk, citing errors by both Black Hawk pilots and an FAA air traffic controller.
Despite its admission, the government also asserts that American Airlines and PSA Airlines share blame for allegedly inadequate crew training on navigating D.C. airspace.
This acknowledgment of liability was made in response to a lawsuit, predating the National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB) official determination of the crash's cause.
In response to the incident, new regulations have been introduced, including FAA-implemented separation rules and the Senate's ROTOR Act, requiring all D.C. airspace aircraft to broadcast their position.

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The U.S. government this week acknowledged its culpability in the January midair collision between an American Airlines flight and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter that killed 67 people.

In response to a lawsuit filed by the family of one of the crash victims, an attorney with the Justice Department’s Civil Division admitted mistakes by the pilots of the Black Hawk and an FAA air traffic controller (ATC) overseeing Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (KDCA) contributed to the disaster.