Night vision goggles on helicopter pilot ‘probably’ contributed to DC plane crash, former pilot argues
Aviation attorney and former pilot Arthur Rosenberg discusses the aftermath of the American Airlines and Black Hawk helicopter aircraft collision in Washington, D.C. on ‘The Big Money Show.’
A deadly midair collision involving an American Airlines flight and an Army helicopter took place near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday night.
The aircraft that collided in the tragic incident were a Bombardier CRJ700 jet operated as American Eagle Flight 5342 by PSA Airlines and a U.S. Army Sikorky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter.
Part of the wreckage is seen as rescue boats search the waters of the Potomac River after a plane coming into Reagan National Airport crashed near Washington, D.C., on Jan. 30, 2025. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via / Getty Images)
A total of 67 people were in the two aircraft, with 64 flying on the regional jet and three service members manning the helicopter.
Bombardier CRJ700
A Bombardier CRJ700 of American Airlines approaches the runway to land on Nov. 13, 2019, in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Bombardier first created CRJ700 jets over two decades ago.
Its CRJ700 program was purchased by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries several years ago. The aircraft is no longer made.
CRJ700s operated by PSA Airlines have First, Main Cabin Extra and Main cabin classes, according to an August 2024 screen capture of the airline’s website from the Wayback Machine. They have capacity for 65 passengers.
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The airline, a wholly-owned subsidiary of American Airlines, has used the aircraft type since 2002. It counted 61 CRJ700s among its 141-plane fleet as of August 2024, PSA Airlines’ website showed.
They are over 100 feet long, according to the airline. The twin-engine aircraft can fly as fast as 544 mph, according to Simple Flying.
Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk Helicopter
A U.S. Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter flies along the coast on Nov. 8, 2024, in Laguna Beach, California. (Kevin Carter / Getty Images)
The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter belonged to the Army. The Army said it was "from Bravo Company, 12th Aviation Battalion, Davison Army Airfield, Fort Belvoir, Va.," Fox News Digital reported.
That type of helicopter has four blades and a twin-engine design. They boast a maximum gross weight of 22,000 pounds, Lockheed Martin said on its website.
Sikorsky has produced Black Hawk helicopters since the '70s.
Lockheed Martin, which is based out of Maryland, became the owner of Sikorksy through a multibillion-dollar deal in 2015.
The top of the helicopter downed in Wednesday’s midair collision was painted gold, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing a Department of Defense official.
Investigation into midair collision
The FAA, National Transportation Safety Board and the Army are investigating the midair collision, with the NTSB taking point, according to a statement from the Joint Task Force-National Capital Region/U.S. Army Military District of Washington.
Emergency response units search the crash site of the American Airlines plane on the Potomac River on Jan. 30, 2025. (Andrew Harnik / Getty Images)
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Shortly after midnight on Wednesday, the NTSB had said in an X post that it had "launched a go-team to the aviation accident" for the PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 and Sikorsky H-60 helicopter.
