Four Navy Aviators Survive Midair Collision at Idaho Air Show
Four U.S. Navy aviators survived a midair collision during an air demonstration Sunday in Idaho after ejecting from two EA-18G Growler aircraft moments before the jets crashed near Mountain Home Air Force Base. The incident occurred during the Gunfighter Skies Air Show, a major public event that drew thousands of spectators and marked the return […]
House Approves Aviation Safety Bill Based on Deadly Midair Collision near Washington
An aviation safety bill seeking to address lessons learned from last year’s midair collision of a jet with an Army helicopter near the nation’s capital was approved by the House Tuesday, but key senators and the families of the 67 victims think the bill still needs to be strengthened. The House bill, called the Alert […]
FAA Mandates Radar Separation for Helicopters and Planes After Deadly DC Midair Collision
Air traffic controllers will use radar, not just visual checks, to ensure that helicopters maintain a safe distance from arriving and departing airplanes in the wake of last year’s fatal midair collision near Washington, D.C., federal officials announced Wednesday. The Federal Aviation Administration said recent near-misses show that previous guidelines for pilots to maintain visual […]
Investigators Say Deadly Midair Collision near DC Followed Years of Ignored Warnings about Traffic
WASHINGTON — National Transportation Safety Board members were deeply troubled Tuesday over years of ignored warnings about helicopter traffic dangers and other problems, long before an American Airlines jet and an Army Black Hawk collided a year ago, killing 67 people near Washington, D.C. A helicopter route in the approach path of a Reagan National […]
Army's Head of Aviation, Who Faced Questions over Deadly Midair Collision, Has New Role
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army’s head of aviation has changed jobs to become chief of the branch’s enterprise marketing office, a move that comes before the National Transportation Safety Board holds hearings next week on January’s midair collision between an Army helicopter and a commercial jet that killed 67 people. Brig. Gen. Matthew Braman became […]
Families of Those Killed in Black Hawk Collision with Jet Want More 'Openness, Compassion' from Army
Family members who lost loved ones when a passenger jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided midair in Washington, D.C., in January said in a letter that Army leadership is failing to take accountability and be transparent with those who are still mourning from the tragedy. The letter, posted publicly Wednesday, is addressed to […]
Virginia National Guard Pilot Wrongly Identified as Involved in DC Midair Collision Sues for Defamation
Army National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk pilot Jo Ellis listened attentively to the breaking news the evening of Jan. 29 that a helicopter had struck an American Airlines jet over the Potomac River near Washington, D.C., killing all aboard both aircraft. The next day, Ellis, who is transgender, was alarmed to hear Defense Secretary Pete […]
Army Adjusts Tracker Policy and Flight Training Following January Collision with Passenger Jet
WASHINGTON — The Army has made changes to how its helicopters use a safety system that broadcasts aircraft location and has reduced the number of flights over Washington following a collision with a passenger jet that killed 67 people, the head of Army aviation told The Associated Press on Tuesday. Investigators are still determining why […]
Congress Questions the FAA, US Army and NTSB over Deadly Midair Collision in DC
If investigators were able to quickly find alarming data about the number of close calls in the years before the midair collision over the nation’s capital that killed 67 people in January, then aviation safety regulators should have seen the problem, the head of the National Transportation Safety Board told Congress on Thursday. NTSB Chairwoman […]
Helicopter Route Permanently Closed After Deadly Black Hawk Collision with Plane
WASHINGTON — Helicopters will be permanently restricted from flying near Washington, D.C.’s airport on the same route where a passenger jet and an Army helicopter collided in midair, killing 67 people, the Federal Aviation Administration said Friday. The move comes just days after federal investigators looking into the cause of the crash recommended a ban […]