NTSB prepares final hearing on deadly DCA plane crash one year later
NTSB Chairwoman reflects on DCA plane crash investigation nearly 1 year later
Next week marks the one-year anniversary of the deadly mid-air collision between an American Airlines flight and an Army helicopter that killed 67 people. The NTSB will hold its final hearing on the deadly mid-air collision next Tuesday. Today, NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy reflects on the event, and her agency's investigation into it.
WASHINGTON - Next week marks the one-year anniversary of the deadly mid-air collision between an American Airlines flight and an Army helicopter that killed 67 people.
The NTSB will hold its final hearing on the deadly mid-air collision next Tuesday. That’s before issuing a final report in early February on the cause of the Potomac River crash involving Flight 5442 and the Army Blackhawk helicopter.
What they're saying:
NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy talked with FOX 5 about the night of the crash, the investigation, and the NTSB’s final report on the cause and the recommendations.
Homendy told FOX 5 that almost immediately, investigators found it "incredible" how close planes and helicopters regularly came near each other at Reagan National.
And she recalled those first moments on scene.
"My first call actually came from somebody at the Federal Aviation Administration and he said ‘Where are you!?’ and I said ‘I just walked in the door’ and he said ‘Don’t ask me any questions, but pack up your go bag, and head back to D.C.,'" said Homendy. "It was a sea of lights. Just flashing lights, and we were towards the end of Runway 3-3, so we were in one of the trailers getting a briefing of what was going on at that time."
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Big picture view:
2025 was a year of major NTSB air disaster investigations — not only the Potomac disaster, but a medevac jet crash in Philadelphia and several other plane crashes, including Cessna Alaska and a UPS jumbo jet crash in Kentucky.
NTSB investigators are mission-oriented, but the job does take a toll. Homendy says part of that job is making sure they take care of each other.
"It’s very mission-oriented, but with that said, we’re all human, of course. We go to those family briefings, but there are also resources for our investigators. There were therapy dogs that came into the hangar. Many times on scene, we had an employee assistance available," said Homendy.
What's next:
At next week’s NTSB meeting, board members will detail the safety issues that caused the crash, vote on the probable cause, and issue safety recommendations aimed at preventing similar crashes from ever happening again.