US Government Acknowledges Responsibility for Passenger Plane and Army Helicopter Collision That Killed 67

Department of Justice: "Violation of Duty of Care Led to Tragic Accident"

On January 29 of this year (local time), the US federal government acknowledged legal responsibility for the collision between a passenger plane and an Army helicopter near Washington DC, which claimed the lives of 67 people.

According to the Associated Press on December 18, the US Department of Justice submitted a response to the court in the first civil lawsuit filed by the family of one of the victims. In its response, the Department of Justice stated, "The US government owed a duty of care to the plaintiffs, but by violating this duty, it caused this tragic accident."

A US military helicopter is flying over the skies of Washington DC. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

The accident occurred on January 29 over the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia. At the time, a US Army Black Hawk UH-60 helicopter collided with American Airlines affiliate PSA Airlines Flight 5342, resulting in 67 fatalities. Investigations found that the three helicopter pilots failed to maintain altitude and could not avoid the passenger plane, and that airport air traffic controllers also failed to properly warn about the helicopter approaching the passenger aircraft.

The Department of Justice also acknowledged that the air traffic controllers violated procedures established by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and that the Army helicopter pilots failed to maintain proper vigilance. As a result, the federal government is also liable for damages. However, the Department of Justice pointed out that American Airlines and its regional partner PSA Airlines also bear responsibility for the collision. On the same day, both airlines filed motions to dismiss with the court, stating, "While we sympathize with the families seeking compensation for this tragedy, such claims should be directed at the US government, not the airlines."

Robert Clifford, the attorney representing the families who filed the lawsuit against the US government, American Airlines, and PSA Airlines, said, "The US government has acknowledged the Army's responsibility for the unnecessary loss of life in this collision and the FAA's violation of air traffic control procedures." He added, "However, government fault is only one of several causes," thereby targeting the airlines as well.

This accident is considered the worst aviation disaster to occur on the US mainland in the past two decades. Following the collision, a series of minor incidents prompted the FAA to restrict helicopter operations near Ronald Reagan National Airport and around the Department of Defense in the Washington DC area.