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What’s Known About the American Airlines Crash Involving a U.S. Army Black Hawk Helicopter

What's Known About the American Airlines Crash Involving a U.S. Army Black Hawk Helicopter

As a Washington, D.C. area resident like our team at GDH Law, you know that it’s not uncommon to witness military aircraft patrolling our area skies, and you were likely privy to all the recent back-and-forth communication among some expressing concerns surrounding increasing air traffic to an already-busy Reagan National Airport (DCA).

Last night, perhaps the two factors above intersected, causing a combustible mix that led to an unfortunate outcome. As you may have already heard, a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter with three service members on a training exercise that left out of DCA collided with an American Airlines regional passenger airplane that had left earlier in the evening on Wednesday, Jan. 21 from Wichita Eisenhower Airport (ICT) with as many as 64 people aboard collided mid-air just before 9:03 p.m.

It’s believed that no one survived the mid-air collision, which led to a fireball erupting and the aircraft tumbling into the frigid Potomac River below.

What We Know About the Victims of the Fatal Aircraft Incident

Information about the individuals who lost their lives during the preventable airplane accident is slowly trickling out barely 12 hours since the mid-flight crash occurred. U.S. Figure Skating has released a statement to TV station KBTX confirming that a number of its young competitors, along with their families and coaches, were on the plane after having competed in a championship competition and training during the previous week.

Little is known as of press time about the others who died in either aircraft.

What Caused the Helicopter and Passenger Jet To Collide?

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and other investigators are only at the early stages of their analysis into what caused the crash. However, preliminary evidence suggests that one or more of the following factors could be to blame:

  • Pilot inexperience
  • Poor cockpit or flight controller communications
  • Challenging airport and associated runway design issues
  • Worsening airway traffic congestion at Reagan National Airport

Investigators have ruled out weather issues and potential terrorism as being responsible for this crash.

They are currently looking into maintenance records for the Embrateur plane that PSA Airlines was operating on behalf of American Airlines, where the flight 5342 crash occurred in Washington, D.C., last night.

Your Legal Options If a Loved One Died in This Washington, D.C. Crash

This crash is eerily similar in some ways to another similar passenger airplane crash that occurred on the Potomac in the early 1980s, as reported by The New York Times. That incident also claimed many innocent victims’ lives.

Know that if you’re reading this after having lost a loved one in this senseless crash, our hearts at GDH Law are with you. While, unfortunately, there’s nothing any of us can do to bring your family member who died back to life, as attorneys, we can help hold anyone, including businesses, liable for their role in contributing to causing this crash.

In this instance, you may be able to file a wrongful death case against the airline, the government, or others, depending on what the investigation into this crash shows about what led to its occurrence. So, get in touch with our personal injury attorneys in Lanham, MD now to better understand whether this is a viable legal avenue you may be able to pursue in your own unique situation. Meeting with our attorneys is free.

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