A January night over Washington’s skies turned catastrophic, and now the fight for accountability has begun.
The family of one of the 67 people killed when an American Eagle regional jet collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River on January 29 has filed a sweeping lawsuit in federal court. The case targets American Airlines, its regional arm PSA Airlines, the U.S. Army, and the Federal Aviation Administration, alleging systemic failures that turned an avoidable risk into America’s deadliest air disaster in more than two decades.
The suit paints a picture of negligence layered across institutions. It accuses the airlines of “manipulating” Reagan National Airport’s arrival rate system to squeeze in more flights despite razor-thin safety margins. It faults Army pilots for flying the helicopter above the permitted altitude, and FAA controllers for failing to separate aircraft or sound alarms when two machines hurtled toward disaster.
“They utterly failed in their responsibilities to the traveling public,” the complaint declares.
American Airlines pushed back, arguing its jet was following a standard approach when the Army aircraft veered into its path. The company touted its “strong track record of safety” and vowed to defend itself and PSA against claims of wrongdoing.
The lawsuit follows months of scrutiny over Army helicopter operations in Washington’s crowded airspace. After a near miss on May 1 forced two civilian planes to abort landings, the FAA grounded Army flights near the Pentagon — a ban that remains in place.
For the families of the victims, that action came far too late. Now they’re turning to the courts, determined that responsibility for the tragedy not sink with the wreckage pulled from the icy river.
