Army Report Redacted, Families Demand Full Accountability After Helicopter-Jet Crash
Families of crash victims call for transparency as Army report omits punishment details.
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In the wake of a January 2025 crash where an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines jet, killing 67 people, families of the victims are expressing frustration over an Army report that fails to provide a complete accounting of the incident. The report, obtained by The Washington Post, outlines multiple longstanding issues that contributed to the disaster but does not specify whether any individuals were held accountable.
Redacted Report Sparks Calls for Transparency
When families of those killed on American Airlines Flight 5342 previewed the report, they encountered extensive redacted text, raising concerns about the Army’s transparency. Tim Lilley, a former Black Hawk pilot and commercial airline captain, emphasized the need for a full disclosure of how risks were allowed to persist and who was responsible for the decisions that led to the crash.
“The Army owes the families and the American public a full accounting of how these risks were allowed to persist, who was responsible for the decisions that allowed them to persist and what will be done to make sure this never happens again,” Lilley said. The families are also calling for an independent audit by the Army Inspector General, as requested by 24 U.S. Senators over a year ago.
Technical Flaws and Safety Concerns
The report cited the Army for not resolving flaws in the altimeters of older Black Hawk helicopters, which could provide inaccurate altitude readings. It also noted that the Army failed to collect information on close calls and provide pilots with training on the dangers of flying in D.C.’s crowded airspace. At times, military helicopters and civilian jets were as close as 75 feet apart, which is particularly concerning given the potential inaccuracies of the older altimeters.
On January 29, 2025, the altimeter on the doomed helicopter indicated it was 200 feet above the Potomac River when it was actually 278 feet in the air. A crash investigator criticized the report for redacting the Army’s findings on the performance of the altimeter, stating that air traffic controllers need to be aware of potential discrepancies in readings.
Families Push for Safety Reforms
Families of the victims are pushing for safety reforms, emphasizing that aircraft should be able to see each other in the sky. They argue that the technology to prevent such collisions is available and that the political will to implement it is all that remains. “We have waited long enough. We waited for the NTSB. We waited for the Army. Both investigations are complete, and both make clear that collision-avoidance technology must be part of the solution,” the Families of Flight 5342 group said.
Source: The Gateway Pundit
