NTSB to Issue Final Cause and Safety Findings in D.C. Midair Collision That Killed 67

The National Transportation Safety Board will hold its final meeting Tuesday to determine the probable cause of last year’s midair collision between a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines jet near Reagan National Airport that killed 67 people, the deadliest U.S. air crash since November 2001. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy told CBS News the investigation has identified 'numerous failures in the system' rather than a single 'smoking gun,' and said the board will issue an unusually large number of findings and a 'pretty lengthy list' of safety recommendations. The crash occurred when the helicopter, carrying three soldiers, and the airliner, with 60 passengers and four crew, collided over the Potomac River just outside Washington, D.C. Last month, in a separate court filing, the U.S. government admitted it was partially at fault, acknowledging the Black Hawk crew failed to establish and maintain proper visual separation from the airliner. The NTSB’s final report will shape how regulators, the military, air traffic control and airlines handle mixed military–civilian airspace near major airports, at a time when social media has amplified questions about air-safety oversight after a series of high‑profile near misses.