Unpublished Army Report on Deadly Helicopter-Jet Crash Frustrates Victims’ Families Who Got Copy Early
Family members of those killed in a January 2025 crash in which an Army Black Hawk helicopter hit a civilian airliner are irked over a new report that lets leaders off the hook. The post Unpublished Army Report on Deadly Helicopter-Jet Crash Frustrates Victims’ Families Who Got Copy Early appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
TL;DR
- An Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines jet in January 2025, resulting in 67 fatalities.
- Victims' families are frustrated by a new Army report that appears to let leaders off the hook and contains significant redactions.
- The report cited issues such as known flaws in altimeters that gave inaccurate altitude readings on older Black Hawk models.
- The Army also failed to collect data on close calls or provide training on flying in D.C.'s crowded airspace.
- At the time of the crash, military helicopters and civilian jets were observed as close as 75 feet apart, with the helicopter's altimeter inaccurate by 140 feet.
- The Army report suggested the helicopter crew might have been using night-vision goggles, potentially hindering their ability to discern the airliner's lights from ground lights and distorting distances.
- Families are demanding safety reforms, including collision-avoidance technology, and have called for an independent audit by the Army Inspector General.
- The report noted that the helicopter's altimeter indicated it was 200 feet above the Potomac when it was actually 278 feet in the air.