--- title: "Army finds ‘several systematic failures’ contributed to DC helicopter crash " description: "Broken communications, errors with altimeters and bright local lighting played a role in the UH-60L’s collision with a commercial airplane." date: "2026-10-12" modified: "2026-10-12" authors: - name: "Nicholas Slayton" job_title: "Contributing Editor" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/nicholas-slayton.md" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/army-dc-helicopter-crash-report/" categories: - "Army" - "Military Branches" - "News" --- # Army finds ‘several systematic failures’ contributed to DC helicopter crash  ![ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA - FEBRUARY 05: A sign is shown affixed to a lamp post at a candlelit vigil held for the flight crash victims at Rivergate City Park on February 05, 2025 in Alexandria, Virginia. An American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas collided midair with a military Black Hawk helicopter while on approach to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on January 29 outside of Washington, DC. All 67 people aboard both aircraft perished in the accident. (Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)]() *A sign is shown affixed to a lamp post at a candlelit vigil held for the flight crash victims at in Alexandria, Virginia, in February, 2025. Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images.* A number of “systematic failures” contributed to the Jan. 29, 2025 [crash]() between an Army UH-60L Black Hawk and a commercial jet over the Potomac River, the Army said. Last week, the service released its [report]() on the deadly mid-air collision that killed three soldiers on board the Army helicopter and 64 people on an American Airlines plane flying into Washington, D.C., from Wichita, Kansas. According to the Army’s findings, the crew was qualified for the flight, but several environmental issues and communication failures played a role in the incident. The [report](), finished in May but released on Oct. 8, found that broken radio communications, bad weather and conditions, as well as instrument errors, contributed to the collision. The UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter, flying under the call sign "Priority Air Transport 25" or "PAT 25,” was on a training flight. It was assigned to the 12th Aviation Battalion. The "most salient contributing factor," the report found, was two broken radio transmissions. As a result, the PAT 25 crew didn't receive communications from the air traffic controller at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, including incoming civilian air traffic. Those transmissions "could have enabled them to positively identify" the civilian plane and "maintain visual separation," the Army noted. [The Washington Post was the first to cover the report's findings](), and a copy of the report was subsequently [published online by Politico]() in the [course of their own coverage](). The report looked at several background factors, including helicopter maintenance and crew training. The Army found that the soldiers operating the UH-60L were "current, qualified, and trained to fly their assigned mission," and the helicopter itself had no mechanical flaws. However, according to the report, turbulence as well as bright lights around Washington hurt the helicopter's navigation. The crew was flying using night vision goggles, which further limited their field of view. The helicopter’s barometric altimeter had an error, showing the crew that the Black Hawk was flying at an altitude lower than it actually was. “Dense urban lighting and the merging of aircraft lights with the terrain, coupled with PAT 25 using \[night vision goggles\] and \[the American Airlines plane\] flying unaided, prevented the crews from positively identifying each other,” the Army findings say. The crew of PAT 25 was also not using the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast system or ADS-B, which can transmit specific locations to other aircraft. The Army's report echoes many of the findings from the National Transportation Safety Board's [January 2026 report]() on the crash, which found long-running issues with close calls in the area, as well as overworked air traffic controllers. The Army's own findings noted poor reporting systems on near misses from local aviation partners. The Army recommended greater training requirements for operating in the Washington and Baltimore areas, as well as better night vision goggles for Army aviation teams. According to the Army, it has taken several steps since the crash to improve air safety, including inspections of Army helicopters and testing of various Black Hawk models for any active or potential errors with altitude instrumentation. ## Author Nicholas Slayton is a contributing editor for Task & Purpose, covering conflict for over 12 years, from the Arab Spring to the war in Ukraine. His previous reporting can be found on the non-profit Aslan Media, The Atlantic, Al Jazeera, The New Republic, The American Prospect, Architectural Digest, The Daily Beast, and the Los Angeles Downtown News. You can reach him at nicholas@taskandpurpose.com or find him on Twitter @NSlayton and Bluesky at @nslayton.bsky.social. ### Author social links [Twitter]()