NTSB DCA crash hearing: Senator accuses FAA and US Army of ‘systemic failures’

After hearing evidence on day one of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) hearing into what caused a deadly mid-air collision between a passenger jet and a US Army Black Hawk, a senator accused the Federal Aviaton Administration (FAA) and US Army of a “string of systemic failures”.  

Senator Maria Cantwell, the ranking Democrat in the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, posted the comments on July 30, 2025, as the NTSB heard evidence about helicopter routes around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). 

Two of the biggest issues discussed at the NTSB hearing centered around the altitude of the Black Hawk helicopter on the night it collided with the American Eagle Bombardier CRJ700 and appeals by air traffic control staff to move helicopter routes away from DCA. 

The NTSB had previously made it known that there were discrepancies surrounding the altitude the Black Hawk was flying at during the time of the crash on January 29, 2025.  

On day one of the hearing a video animation showing the movements of the PSA Airlines aircraft and Black Hawk before the crash was played indicating that the helicopter flew above the 200 feet route altitude limit along a section of the Potomac River.  

However, NTSB investigators said that the helicopter’s barometric altimeters showed crew members that it was flying 80 to 130 feet lower than its actual altitude. 

“There is a possibility that what the crew saw was very different than what the true altitude was,” said NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy. 

According to Reuters, further tests on other Black Hawk helicopters by the NTSB revealed discrepancies of between 80 and 130 feet from the actual altitude the aircraft were flying.

National Transportation Safety Board / FlickrArmy officials giving evidence said that discrepancies of up to 100 feet were not a cause of worry for the helicopter type and that the main concern was the vertical separation distances approved around DCA. 

Army representatives at the hearing asked why more was not being done to alert its pilots to potential altitude discrepancies and stepping up testing. 

In response to this area of evidence Senator Cantwell said that the US Army helicopter’s altimeters being “off by over 100 feet” meant “pilots couldn’t follow altitude restrictions even when trying to”. 

Helicopters around DCA

According to Reuters, evidence was also brought forward at the hearing that in 2022 members of an FAA air traffic working group urged helicopters to be moved away from DCA. 

They wanted “hot spots” established but the issue was not carried forward because it was “too political”, the news outlet reported. 

“Today’s NTSB hearing on the January 29 tragedy is revealing a string of systemic failures by the Army & FAA. Management scoffed at a safety proposal from air traffic controllers at DCA to move the helicopter route where the crash happened,” said Senator Cantwell. 

Today’s NTSB hearing on the January 29 tragedy is revealing a string of systemic failures by the Army & FAA. Management scoffed at a safety proposal from air traffic controllers at DCA to move the helicopter route where the crash happened.@SenatorCantwell comments: pic.twitter.com/0JcvZGt5OU— Senate Commerce, Science, Transportation Committee (@commercedems) July 30, 2025 She added: “The NTSB hearing revealed the conflicts on the DCA routes were so clear that an air traffic control working group suggested changing them. What caused the FAA’s oversight to be so flawed that they couldn’t fix this problem before the tragedy occurred?” 

The passenger jet and Black Hawk collided over the Potomac River in Washington on January 29, 2025, just half a mile away from Reagan Washington National Airport.  

All 64 people onboard the PSA Airlines-operated flight were killed along with three military crew members on the US helicopter.  

Day two of the three-day NTSB hearing begins on July 31, 2025, in Washington DC. 

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