Overview

• Investigators confirm Capt. Rebecca Lobach failed to turn left as advised by her co-pilot, contributing to the collision with an American Airlines jet over the Potomac River.
• The Black Hawk crew was operating under visual separation rules, relying on their own observations rather than strict air traffic control guidance.
• A cockpit radio 'bleep-out' may have caused the Black Hawk crew to miss a crucial directive from air traffic control to 'pass behind' the jet.
• Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has announced a four-year plan to modernize air traffic control systems, including AI-driven safety monitoring at high-risk airports.
• The crash, the deadliest U.S. aviation disaster since 2001, highlights systemic issues at Reagan National Airport, which has recorded 85 near-miss incidents since 2021.