US Admits Liability in Helicopter-Jet Crash Over Potomac River

The US government acknowledged in a federal court filing that it was liable for damages resulting from a deadly collision between an Army helicopter and a regional American Airlines Group Inc. jetliner earlier this year near Washington, one of the deadliest crashes in decades.

“The United States admits that it owed a duty of care to plaintiffs, which it breached, thereby proximately causing the tragic accident” on Jan. 29 that killed 67 people, Justice Department lawyers wrote in a court document Wednesday in one of about two dozen lawsuits filed over the crash.

The American CRJ-700 jet and the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter collided as the plane approached Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Virginia, with both aircraft falling into the Potomac River. The jet was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members on Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas. The helicopter was carrying three people participating in a regular training mission. Family members of the victims have sued the government and American, along with one of its subsidiaries, PSA Airlines.

CNN reported earlier on the Justice Department filing.

Robert Clifford, an attorney representing the wife one of the passengers killed in the crash, said in a statement that the US Army had admitted its “responsibility for the needless loss of life,” as well as the Federal Aviation Administration’s “failure to follow air traffic control procedure.” However, the government was just “one of several causes,” Clifford said, pointing out that American and PSA have sought to dismiss the complaints.

American declined to comment on the recent filing but referred Bloomberg to its previous motion to dismiss the case against it. In that motion, the airline said it’s “sympathetic to plaintiffs’ desire to obtain redress for this tragedy” but “plaintiffs’ proper legal recourse is not against American. It is against the United States government.”

The FAA referred questions to the Justice Department. The US Army didn’t immediately respond to messages seeking comment after normal business hours.

Read More: ATC Failed to Alert American Jet of Chopper Before Midair Crash

The collision was followed by several other aviation mishaps, including crashes and near misses, that resulted in widespread concern among the flying public. Since then, the Federal Aviation Administration has stepped up safety measures at the busy Reagan airport and restricted non-essential helicopter operations.

The case is Crafton vs. American Airlines, 25-cv-03382, US District Court, District of Columbia (Washington).

To contact the reporters on this story:
Steve Stroth in Chicago at sstroth@bloomberg.net;
Allyson Versprille in Washington at aversprille1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story:
Misyrlena Egkolfopoulou at megkolfopoul@bloomberg.net

Steve Stroth, John Harney

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