The attorneys at Aviation Law Group offer our most sincere condolences to the families and friends of the victims in this tragic accident. We hope that by applying facts to our experience as attorneys and pilots who have actually flown regional jets as well as full-sized commercial airliners into Reagan National Airport (DCA), we can bring some context and insight into the tragic events that unfolded over the Potomac River near Washington, D.C.
Aviation Law Group is investigating the midair collision and crash of American Airlines flight 5342 on January 29, 2025, as it was on final approach to land on runway 33 and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
American Airlines flight 5342, a Canadair Regional Jet CRJ-701ER (N709PS) operated for American Eagle by PSA Airlines, originated from Wichita, Kansas (KICT) and collided with a U.S. Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, callsign PAT25, while on final approach for runway 33 at Reagan National Airport (KDCA) in Virginia across the Potomac River from Washington D.C.
According to officials all 64 passengers and crew of the American Airlines flight and three soldiers in the Army helicopter are feared dead.
By all accounts, the flight of American Airlines 5342 was routine until it collided with the Army Black Hawk helicopter. The aircraft’s approach to Reagan National Airport involved a “circling” approach. To increase traffic flow and allow more aircraft to take off and land at a congested airport like Reagan National Airport, arriving aircraft are cleared to fly an approach, in this case, the Mount Vernon Visual approach to runway 1, then circle to the right, join final for runway 33 and then land on runway 33. This maneuver allows the aircraft to take off on runway 1 between the arriving aircraft landing on runway 33.
Aviation Law Group attorney and airline captain Christopher Rusing has flown regional jets like the one involved in this accident and Airbus A320 series aircraft into Reagan National Airport and explains,
“The Mount Vernon Visual approach with a circle to land on runway 33 is a challenging approach involving breaking off the initial approach and circling at low altitude and landing on a short runway and requires significant concentration by the pilots. There is no scenario where one could envision a helicopter appearing in a position on this circling approach where a collision could be possible.”
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is on-site and will begin an investigation into the cause of this accident. The airspace in and around Reagan National Airport is some of the most congested and highly controlled airspace in the world. The NTSB will focus its investigation on how it could be possible that mid-air collision could occur in such highly controlled airspace. The NTSB will look to the air traffic congestion, and the role of air traffic control in failing to adequately maintain separation, and the failure of the helicopter crew to “see and avoid” the regional jet after the crew stated that they would “maintain visual separation” from the American Airlines CRJ.
Helicopter traffic is not uncommon in and around the Reagan National Airport, and there are dedicated helicopter routes that dictate the path that helicopters must maintain and the altitudes at which the helicopters must fly. Along the route where U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter call sign PAT25 was flying prior to the mid-air collision, the maximum altitude was only 200 feet. Initial radar indications show that just prior to the impact, PAT25 climbed in altitude and was flying between 300 and 400 feet, nearly twice the maximum allowed altitude. This altitude deviation will be a significant point of interest in the NTSB’s investigation.
In addition, the investigations will focus on why the crew of American Airlines flight 5342 was not alerted to the presence of the U.S. Army helicopter by onboard technology. All commercial airliners are equipped with Traffic Alerting and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) which monitors the position of other aircraft in relation to the subject aircraft and will give visual and audio warning to the pilots alerting them of a potential collision. The TCAS system consists of Traffic Alerts (TAs) which will occur with an “Traffic Traffic” alert when a collision is roughly 40 seconds from occurring. A Resolution Advisory (RA) will occur when a collision is eminent, roughly 15 seconds prior to impact, and give instructions for evasive actions the pilots must take to avoid a collision. However, RAs are inhibited in TCAS systems below 1,000 feet above ground level, and thus, the RAs were inhibited at the time of impact at an altitude of roughly 400 feet. Further, aural alerts are inhibited in TCAS systems below 500 feet of altitude.
The NTSB will investigate if the helicopter was operating with its transponder on. If not, that could be a clue as to why the crew of flight 5342 did not receive at least some warning of the proximity of the Army helicopter.
The aviation industry was well aware of the potential danger of mid-air collisions.
The crash of American Airlines Flight 5342 is the first fatal commercial airline crash since the crash of Colgan Airlines Flight 3407 on February 2009 in Buffalo, New York. More that 15 years of commercial airline flights in the United States is an exceptional safety record, however, there have been an increasing number of near miss situations involving commercial airlines and so-called loss of separation incidents resulting in near tragedy.
Since 2023, there have been 15 notable near-miss incidents in the United States, of which three have occurred at Reagan National Airport. Another report noted that in 2023 alone, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) identified 19 serious near-miss incidents, the highest number since 2016.
In response to the increased number of near misses, the FAA attributed the heightened incidents to air traffic control staffing issues, inexperienced pilots, and outdated technology. According to the FAA, as of December 2023, there are around 1,000 fewer certified controllers than it had a decade ago, although 1,500 new controllers were hired and an additional 2,600 controllers were placed “at various levels of training at air traffic facilities across the country.”
Despite the FAA’s efforts, near misses continued at an alarming rate. Several near-miss incidents at Reagan National Airport have sparked alarm, including a near-collision in May 2024 between an American Airlines jet and a small airplane and one in April 2024 between Southwest and JetBlue airplanes.
ALG attorneys have handled many commercial airline accidents, including Alaska Airlines Flight 261 and Turkish Airlines Flight 1951. They currently represent passengers who were injured in the two most recent accidents in the United States: Hawaiian Airlines Flight 35 and Alaska Airlines Flight 1282.
ALG attorneys take cases in all 50 states and Canada, and are licensed in California, Florida, Alaska, Washington, and Hawaii.
25 years ago, on January 31, 2000, Alaska Airlines flight 261 crashed into the Pacific Ocean of Point Hueneme, California. ALG attorney Robert Hedrick represented numerous families of passengers who died in that accident, and he filed those cases in California Federal Court in San Francisco. Though the accident and subsequent litigations were both complicated and challenging, Mr. Hedrick was able to sort through tens of thousands of pages of documents involved and compile theories of liability for all aspects of the case. All cases ultimately settled before trial. Since then, Mr. Hedrick has given many presentations throughout the U.S. and overseas about the Flight 261 accident and resulting changes in industry safety standards.
While Aviation Law Group will monitor and investigate more facts related to AA5342, we welcome families who lost a loved one to contact us to discuss the accident or if you have any questions. We hold ourselves out, for free, to assist families with understanding the investigative process and with explaining available legal rights and options.
