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2w ago

NTSB Hearings Expose Altimeter Inaccuracies in D.C. Midair Collision

NTSB hearings revealed helicopter altimeter errors of up to 130 feet plus traffic advisories that never reached the airliner during the January collision

Christina Stovall, whose son, Mikey Stovall, died on American Airlines flight 5342 in a collision with a U.S. military helicopter, weeps as she leaves the room during the NTSB fact-finding hearing on the DCA midair collision accident, at the National Transportation and Safety Board boardroom, Wednesday, July 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
FILE - A crane offloads a piece of wreckage from a salvage vessel onto a flatbed truck, near the wreckage site in the Potomac River of a mid-air collision between an American Airlines jet and a Black Hawk helicopter, at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Feb. 5, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File)
National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy presides over the NTSB fact-finding hearing on the DCA midair collision accident, at the National Transportation and Safety Board boardroom, Wednesday, July 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
FILE - A piece of wreckage is lifted from the water onto a salvage vessel near the site in the Potomac River of a mid-air collision between an American Airlines jet and a Black Hawk helicopter, at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Feb. 4, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, file)

Overview

  • Investigators tested three Black Hawk helicopters and found barometric altimeters off by 80 to 130 feet, potentially misleading pilots about true altitude
  • FAA oversight officials confirmed no traffic advisories or safety alerts were issued to the American Airlines jet before impact
  • Cockpit voice recordings showed a critical “pass behind” instruction to the Black Hawk crew was rendered unintelligible
  • A location-transmitting ADS-B device on the helicopter had been inactive for about two years, limiting air traffic controllers’ awareness
  • The NTSB will continue fact-finding and aims to issue a final report on probable cause and safety recommendations within the next year