Black Hawk Crew May Not Have Heard Order To Go Behind Plane, NTSB Says – One America News Network

February 15, 2025 Abril Elfi US 0

A large portion of the destroyed fuselage of American Airlines flight 5342 is lifted from the Potomac River during recovery efforts on February 03, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia. An American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas collided midair with a military Black Hawk helicopter while on approach to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on January 29, 2025 outside of Washington, DC. According to reports, there were no survivors among the 67 people onboard both aircraft. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) — A large portion of the destroyed fuselage of American Airlines flight 5342 is lifted from the Potomac River during recovery efforts on February 03, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

OAN Staff Abril Elfi
10:27 AM – Saturday, February 15, 2025

D.C. plane crash investigators have stated that the Black Hawk crew may not have heard the order to go behind the plane.

On Friday, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairman Jennifer Homendy stated that there has been no indication that the U.S. Army Black Hawk crew could tell there was an impending collision before its crash with the American Airlines plane.

The NTSB continued saying that the helicopter crew may have received incorrect altitude information from their altimeter, as the pilots’ elevations varied in the seconds leading up to the disaster.

One helicopter pilot believed they were at 400 feet, while the other thought they were at 300 feet.

According to the NTSB, the actual height of the helicopter at the time of impact is unknown.

“We are looking at the possibility that there may be bad data,” Homendy said.

The crew may not have heard the tower’s broadcast instructing the helicopter to proceed behind the plane since the pilot keyed her radio at the same time and stepped on the ATC transmission, according to the NTSB.

Homendy said that the Black Hawk crew most likely wore night vision goggles during the flight.

The Black Hawk was on an annual training flight and a night vision goggle check trip for one of the pilots when it crashed, according to Homendy. She said that this is a practical exam that a pilot must pass in order to fulfill specific jobs.

She went on to commend Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy for taking immediate action to restrict helicopter traffic around Reagan airport in the wake of the crash.

Homendy stated that it is “too early to say” whether that restriction should be permanent.

JUST IN: Radio transmission to the Black Hawk helicopter may have been “interrupted” moments before it collided with the American Airlines flight carrying over 60 people.

NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy says there is conflicting information regarding the Black Hawk’s altitude.

The… pic.twitter.com/kJ1yd7Hlm3

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) February 15, 2025

The helicopter crashed with an American Airlines regional flight landing at Reagan from Wichita, Kansas, on the evening of January 29^th killing all 64 people on the plane and three in the helicopter.

The cause of the crash is currently continuing to be investigated.

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