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NTSB Hearings Highlight Altimeter Errors and ATC Breakdowns as FAA Plans New Helicopter Route Limits

FAA will overhaul helicopter flight paths near Reagan National Airport following hearings that exposed key technical and procedural failures

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

  • NTSB tests showed Black Hawk barometric altimeters reading 80–130 feet lower than true altitude, likely misguiding pilots over the Potomac River
  • Cockpit voice recordings reveal the airliner's crew received an automated traffic warning about 20 seconds before impact and tried to climb, while the helicopter pilots missed a “pass behind” instruction when a crew member keyed the microphone
  • FAA Air Traffic Oversight Service director Nick Fuller confirmed no safety alerts were issued to the American Airlines regional jet about the helicopter’s crossing path
  • Investigators noted that pre-crash proposals to reroute helicopters, cut flights at Reagan National and install collision-warning systems were never implemented
  • FAA officials announced plans for additional helicopter route restrictions near Reagan National, building on permanent limits imposed in March and expanded in June