FAA Report Reveals Pilot Negligence and Air Traffic Control Failures Fueling Deadly Reagan Crash

New Details Emerge in DC Helicopter-Plane Crash

A tragic accident near Reagan National Airport left us with shocking new details. An American Airlines flight carrying about 64 souls collided with a Blackhawk helicopter in late January. Everything went wrong in an instant.

Reports say all 64 onboard the jet lost their lives. The three pilots in the Blackhawk also died in the explosive impact. This crash still leaves us searching for clear answers.

A preliminary FAA report pointed out that staffing at the DCA Air Traffic Control tower was “not normal” at the time. In fact, NBC News noted that one controller was handling both helicopter and airplane traffic. This isn’t how things usually run; one controller usually watches the helicopters.

Webcam video from the Kennedy Center caught the shocking moment when the Blackhawk flew directly into the jet.

WATCH:

The US Army later released the name of the Blackhawk pilot involved. That pilot, Rebecca Lobach, was identified only after three days, allowing the Army time to scrub her social media. The other two pilots were Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O’Hara, 28, of Lilburn, Georgia, and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39, of Great Mills, Maryland.

Rebecca Lobach reportedly had just 45 hours of flying experience. More importantly, she served as an aide to Joe Biden. This fact has stirred up further discussion among many.

On Sunday, The New York Times shared even more details. The report revealed that Lobach repeatedly ignored warnings from her right seat about altitude. Her male co-pilot, who was also an Army flight instructor, told her directly to change course—but she didn’t listen. As The Times reported,

“Not only was the Black Hawk flying too high, but in the final seconds before the crash, its pilot failed to heed a directive from her co-pilot, an Army flight instructor, to change course.”

The account continued, “The Black Hawk was 15 seconds away from crossing paths with the jet. Warrant Officer Eaves then turned his attention to Captain Lobach. He told her he believed that air traffic control wanted them to turn left, toward the east river bank.”

It added, “Turning left would have opened up more space between the helicopter and Flight 5342, which was heading for Runway 33 at an altitude of roughly 300 feet.”

And the fatal mistake, as reported by The Times, “She did not turn left.”