The United States government has admitted to failures that led to a deadly midair collision between a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter and an American Eagle Bombardier CRJ700, killing all 67 people on board. The collision occurred on January 29, 2025, near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).

In a court filing released by the US Department of Justice and reviewed by NBC News, the US government said that it “admits that it owed a duty of care to Plaintiffs, which it breached, thereby proximately causing the tragic accident.” The liability admission was submitted in response to lawsuits brought by the families of the victims against both the US government and American Airlines.

A Busy Corridor With Previously Identified Safety Concerns

The approach flight path into DCA is widely regarded as one of the busiest air corridors in the United States, and safety concerns associated with the congestion have been repeatedly identified, including several near-miss incidents, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. In the lawsuit filed against the government and the airlines, the fatal midair collision was described as a “wholly avoidable tragedy” and “an accident waiting to happen,” according to NBC News.

The government admitted that both the US Army Black Hawk helicopter pilots and the regional jet crew failed to maintain proper awareness and avoid each other. The DOJ also said the Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controller did not follow an FAA directive, and that the combined failures made the United States legally responsible for damages, according to a report by Reuters. However, the lawsuit denied claims that ATC failed to monitor the path of the Black Hawk.

The government did not accept full responsibility for the crash. Robert Clifford, an attorney representing the family of one of the victims, said the government acknowledged it was not the only party at fault, arguing that its actions were just one of several factors that led to the loss of life. Meanwhile, American and PSA Airlines have asked the court to dismiss the claims, stating that aviation safety is regulated exclusively by the government and that the airline is not accused of breaking any federal rules.

A Closer Look Into The Accident

On January 29, 2025, a US Army Sikorsky UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter, operating under the call sign PAT25, collided midair with a PSA Airlines CRJ700 regional jet. The latter aircraft was operating under the American Eagle brand as flight AA5342 near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

The crash occurred about half a mile southeast of the airport, and both aircraft fell into the Potomac River in southwest Washington DC. All 67 people on board the two aircraft were killed, including 60 passengers, two pilots, and two flight attendants on the airplane, as well as three crew members on the helicopter. Both aircraft were destroyed in the crash.

The National Transportation Safety Board is continuing to investigate the midair collision. In March 2025, the agency released a preliminary report in which it issued two urgent safety recommendations to the FAA regarding helicopter routes near DCA.

Safety Actions At DCA Following The Accident

Following the midair collision on January 29, 2025, the NTSB urgently recommended that the FAA permanently prohibit helicopter operations near Washington’s Ronald Reagan National Airport. Additionally, the agency asked the FAA to prohibit helicopter operations near DCA when runways 15 and 33 are in use, and to designate an alternative helicopter route.

The NTSB also said that helicopters flying along Route 4 at the highest allowed altitude of 200 feet could be separated from airplanes approaching runway 33 by as little as 75 feet vertically. The agency added that this gap is not enough and warned that the distance could be even smaller depending on how close the helicopter is to the Potomac River shoreline or if an aircraft on approach is flying below its normal glide path.