Overview
- Investigators adopted a probable cause centered on the FAA’s placement and oversight of a helicopter route near Reagan National that allowed minimal separation from arriving jets.
- The route enabled vertical spacing of roughly 75 feet, and the Black Hawk was flying above its 200‑foot limit as its barometric altimeter read about 80–100 feet lower than actual.
- Air traffic control was operating combined positions under heavy workload, issued no safety alert to the PSA Airlines crew despite a conflict alert, and later failed timely post‑accident alcohol testing.
- The Army-operated helicopter was permitted to have ADS‑B turned off under existing policy, reducing surveillance and alerting for both controllers and pilots.
- Alongside making post‑crash airspace restrictions permanent, the NTSB urged 48 actions—32 to the FAA—covering route redesign, controller training, conflict-alert systems, staffing practices and arrival‑rate management at DCA.