‘Systemic’ Flaws Led to Fatal 2025 Midair Crash Near Washington

Inaction by government agencies and other systemic failures contributed to a 2025 midair collision that was the worst US civil aviation disaster in more than two decades, the head of the US National Transportation Safety Board said.

NTSB has been investigating what caused a US Army helicopter to slam into an American Airlines Group Inc. regional jet attempting to land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, the closest to the nation’s capital, on Jan. 29, 2025.

The accident resulted in the deaths of three military personnel on the Sikorsky UH-60L helicopter and 64 passengers and crew on the commercial airliner, ...