Potomac plane crash

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Night Goggles May Have Contributed to Potomac Crash

Experts tell NTSB that Army chopper pilots could've had hard time seeing plane if they used them

(Newser) - The pilots of a US Army helicopter that collided with a passenger jet over Washington in January would've had difficulty spotting the plane while wearing night vision goggles, experts told the National Transportation Safety Board on Friday. The Army goggles would've made it difficult to see the plane'...

Collision Hearing Addresses False Altitude Readings

Air traffic controller at Reagan National seemed overworked and confused, NTSB hears

(Newser) - The National Transportation Safety Board heard Wednesday of a series of problems the pilots of an Army Black Hawk helicopter were dealing with before the fatal midair collision with an airliner over Ronald Reagan National Airport. The 10-hour session in Washington, the first of three days of hearings about the...

NTSB Begins Digging Into Potomac Plane Crash

3 days of hearings open in search of what caused the disaster, as well as for possible solutions

(Newser) - Three days of hearings into the equally tragic and public collision in January between an Army helicopter and a passenger plane within a stone's throw of the nation's capital got underway on Wednesday, reports NBC Boston . The National Transportation Safety Board, which won't release its final report...

Trans Pilot Sues Influencer: I 'Believe in Consequences'

Virginia National Guard's Jo Ellis says Matt Wallace accused her of piloting chopper in Potomac crash

(Newser) - A transgender pilot falsely reported to have been flying the military helicopter that collided in January with a commercial airplane, killing 67, is now suing a right-wing influencer for spreading that rumor—the insinuation being that she was hired only due to DEI initiatives. "I want to hold this...

Air Traffic Controller Allegedly Punches Colleague in DC
A Punch Throws
DC Control Tower
Into Chaos
in case you missed it
Apr 6, 2025 7:00 AM CDT

A Punch Throws DC Control Tower Into Chaos

Air traffic controller arrested, charged with assault

(Newser) - An air traffic control supervisor was arrested Friday after allegedly assaulting a colleague in the control tower at Ronald Reagan National Airport. Damon Marsalis Gaines, 39, of Maryland, was charged with misdemeanor assault and battery, according to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. He allegedly punched a colleague Thursday during an...

FAA Shuts Helicopter Route in Use During DC Collision

Moves make temporary restrictions permanent after crash that killed 67

(Newser) - Aviation officials on Friday announced permanent curbs on helicopter traffic near Reagan National Airport, the site of a collision involving an Army Black Hawk and American Airlines flight that killed 67 people in January. The portion of the route taken by the Black Hawk will be closed, and restrictions on...

NTSB Shares 'Urgent Recommendations' After Potomac Crash

Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy cites an 'intolerable risk to aviation safety'

(Newser) - The National Transportation Safety Board on Tuesday issued "urgent safety recommendations" as part of its preliminary report into the fatal collision of a military helicopter and an American Airlines plane near Reagan National Airport on Jan. 29. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy credited Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy with quickly reining...

In a Span of 90 Minutes, 2 Flights Had to Abort Landings

The first incident occurred at Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC

(Newser) - The drumbeat of concerning aviation stories didn't let up on Wednesday, with the news that a second flight had to maneuver to avoid a potential collision on Tuesday. Fox News reports the pilot of an American Airlines plane that was making its final descent toward DC's Reagan National...

'This Was Preventable': Claims Filed Over Potomac Crash

'I don't know who caused this crash, but I know the passengers sure didn't',' family's lawyer says

(Newser) - The family of Connecticut man Casey Crafton has filed what are believed to be the first legal claims against the federal government over the Potomac plane crash. "I don't know who caused this crash, but I know the passengers sure didn't, and the families are entitled to...

Trump Begins Firing Staffers at the FAA

Purge of several hundred started via email Friday night

(Newser) - The Trump administration has begun firing several hundred Federal Aviation Administration employees, upending staff on a busy air travel weekend and just weeks after a January fatal midair collision at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Probationary workers were targeted in late-night emails on Friday notifying them they'd been fired,...

Jealous of Private Jets? There's a Big Catch
Jealous of Private Jets?
There's a Big Catch
longform
Feb 16, 2025 9:30 AM CST

Jealous of Private Jets? There's a Big Catch

Flying commercial is safer, as Vanity Fair explains

(Newser) - Celebs and rich people zip around in private jets—and often let everybody know about it in social media flexes—while ordinary schmoes fly commercial. A story at Vanity Fair might help those in the latter category with their feelings of envy:
  • "In most things the ultrarich are much
...

Airport Employees Face Charges Over Crash Video
Airport Employees Face
Charges Over Crash Video
in case you missed it
Feb 8, 2025 11:30 AM CST

Airport Employees Face Charges Over Crash Video

2 accused of leaking airport surveillance video to CNN

(Newser) - Two Airport Authority employees who allegedly leaked video of last week's midair crash that killed 67 people have been arrested. CNN anchor Kate Bolduan introduced the footage showing an American Airlines passenger jet colliding with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter on Friday morning, saying it "appears to...

In the Potomac, a Grim Recovery Begins


In the Potomac, a
Grim Recovery Concludes
UPDATED
Feb 4, 2025 4:27 PM CST

In the Potomac, a Grim Recovery Concludes

The remains of all 67 victims have been retrieved

(Newser) - The remains of all 67 victims of last week's midair collision of an American Airlines flight and an Army helicopter near the nation's capital have been recovered, authorities said Tuesday. The chief medical examiner is still trying to positively identify one set of remains, officials said in a...

Families Hold Memorial at Potomac Crash Site
Families Gather at Crash Site
Feb 2, 2025 10:30 AM CST

Families Gather at Crash Site

New transportation secretary defends safety of US airspace

(Newser) - Dozens of family members of the 67 people killed last week in the midair collision at Reagan National Airport met for a memorial on Sunday morning at the crash site. Under a police escort, 10 charter buses brought the mourners to the tarmac, where National Transportation Safety Board officials and...

Army Identifies Co-Pilot of Helicopter in Crash

Capt. Rebecca Lobach, 28, was among those killed

(Newser) - The Army released the name of the third crew member on the military helicopter that collided with a passenger jet in DC, one day after taking the rare step of initially withholding it. On Saturday, the Pentagon identified Cpt. Rebecca M. Lobach of Durham, North Carolina, as the third soldier...

Army Withholds Name of Female Pilot Killed in DC Crash

She was taking part in her annual evaluation exercise

(Newser) - The Army released the identities of the two men aboard the Black Hawk helicopter that collided with an American Airlines regional jet in Washington, DC, on Wednesday night, but the New York Times reports it took the "extraordinary step" not to name the female pilot due to a request...

Black Hawk May Have Been Off Course, Too High

FAA shuts down helicopter traffic around National Airport

(Newser) - Helicopter flights around Reagan National Airport are now prohibited, federal officials announced Friday. The flight path along the Potomac River that an Army helicopter was on when it collided with a passenger plane in Washington on Wednesday was implemented to keep helicopters below planes flying in the area, the New ...

Air Traffic Control Gave 'Seemingly Ordinary' Instruction

Moments later, the two aircraft collided over the Potomac

(Newser) - Staffing levels at Reagan National Airport's air traffic control tower were below normal during Wednesday night's tragedy , according to the FAA, but retired American Airlines pilot Richard Levy tells NPR that he can find no fault with the instructions the controller gave both aircraft. The Wall Street Journal...

Details of 67 Killed in Potomac Plane Crash Are Coming Out

Victims include hunting group, a college student on her way back from a funeral

(Newser) - Sixty-seven people are being mourned after a passenger plane and a helicopter collided over the Potomac River in Washington, DC, on Wednesday night, presumably killing all 67 people aboard both aircraft. At least 40 bodies have been recovered so far, in addition to partial remains, CBS News reports. What we...

Day Before Potomac Crash, a Near-Miss
Day Before Potomac
Crash, a Near-Miss
Jan 31, 2025 12:00 AM CST

Day Before Potomac Crash, a Near-Miss

Plane had to abort landing in order to avoid helicopter

(Newser) - The day before the horrific crash over the Potomac in Washington, DC, Republic Airways Flight 4514 was approaching the same airport and had an eerily similar near-miss with a helicopter. As the flight came in for a landing at Reagan National (DCA) Tuesday, it was forced to abort after a...

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