Report Details New Evidence In DC Mid-Air Collision
In a grim and sobering development, new investigative findings have shed light on the catastrophic collision between a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and a commercial passenger jet that claimed 67 lives in January.
The deadly mid-air crash over the Potomac River near Washington, D.C., has been traced to a critical failure to maneuver—an oversight that investigators suggest could have made the difference between life and death.
According to an in-depth report by The New York Times, the Black Hawk, piloted by Capt. Rebecca Lobach, failed to execute a left turn when instructed to do so by her co-pilot and instructor, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves.
In those fleeting final moments, the course correction would have placed vital space between the military helicopter and the descending American Airlines Flight 5342, which was preparing to land on Runway 33 at Reagan National Airport.
Despite clear verbal guidance from Eaves, Lobach maintained a straight flight path. The mystery of why she did not turn persists, with investigators finding no evidence of a medical emergency or performance issues. Autopsies, extensive interviews, and flight log reviews turned up no clear cause for her critical inaction.
Yet, the missed turn was not the only failure that day. The report paints a troubling picture of compounded errors, including radio communication issues and ambiguities with air traffic control.
Notably, an attempt by the controller to instruct the Black Hawk to “pass behind” the passenger jet may have been garbled due to a “bleep-out” as the helicopter crew activated their microphone. This momentary loss of instruction clarity may have sealed their fate.
Two seconds after the garbled command, Eaves reconfirmed visual contact with the jet and requested “visual separation” authorization—a common air maneuver that relies on pilot judgment to maintain a safe distance.
The controller replied, “Vis sep approved,” but ambiguity remained. With just 15 seconds before impact, Eaves urgently reiterated to Lobach that a left turn was likely necessary. That critical guidance, tragically, went unheeded.