DCA American Airlines and US Army helicopter collision

On 29th January 2025 at 20:48 local time (EST), a Sikorsky helicopter operated by the US army with the callsign PAT25 and a CRJ700 jet operated by PSA Airlines (a wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines) as flight 5342 collided approximately 0.5 miles southeast of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) and impacted the Potomac River and both aircraft were destroyed. In this blog post, I take a look at the preliminary report published by the NTSB and discover what the aftermath has been so far.

This information is subject to change as the investigation continues.

Flight 5342 was operating a scheduled flight from Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport (ICT) to DCA. The flight had 2 pilots, 2 flight attendants and 60 passengers. All were killed in the crash. The US Army helicopter had originated from Davison Army Airfield (DAA) for the pilot's annual standardization evaluation with the use of night vision goggles. The helicopter crew consisted of 3 crew members. All were killed in the crash.

The table below, shows a reconstruction of events and timings to the best of my ability based on the NTSB data in the preliminary report. This information is subject to change as the investigation continues.

Time (All times in EST unless otherwise stated)	Event
18:39	Flight 5342 departed Wichita (ICT) on an IFR flight plan
18:45	The helicopter filed a VFR flight plan and departed
About 20:15	Flight 5342 started its initial descent
About 20:30	The helicopter began travelling generally southbound
20:32	The helicopter checked in with DCA tower
20:33:41	The helicopter crew requested Helicopter Route 1 to Route 4 to DAA. The tower controlled approved this
20:38:39	The helicopter reached the intersection of the DC Beltway and the Potomac River. The helicopter turned briefly westbound before turning back to the east. The helicopter began descending as it picked up Route 1 over the Potomac River, south-east towards downtown Washington DC
20:39:10	Potomac Approach cleared flight 5342 for the Mount Vernon visual Runway 1 approach. The plane was inbound to DCA from the south
20:40:46	The aircraft rolled out of a left turn established on the ILS localizer for runway 1. The aircraft was at approximately 4,000 feet, traveling at a speed of 170 knots with the landing gear up and flaps extended to 20 degrees
20:43:06	The crew of flight 5342 made initial contact with DCA tower. The aircraft was about 10.5 nautical miles from DCA. The controller asked if the crew could switch to Runway 33. The crew agreed and the controller cleared flight 5342 for landing on Runway 33
20:43:48	The helicopter was approximately 1.1 nautical miles west of the Key Bridge. According to the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), the pilot indicated that they were at 300 feet. The instructor pilot however indicated that they were at 400 feet. Neither pilot made a comment discussing an altitude discrepancy
20:44:27	As the helicopter approached Key Bridge, the instructor pilot indicated that the helicopter was at 300 feet, descending to 200 feet
Between 20:44:41 and 20:44:45	The Flight Data Recorder (FDR) of flight 5342 indicates that the crew selected 30 degrees of flaps and then 45 degrees of flaps between these times
20:44:49	The airplane's landing gear was down and locked. The aircraft was fully configured for landing about 6.2 nautical miles south of the airport
20:45:14	The helicopter crew advised the controller of their position over the Memorial Bridge
20:45:27	The flight 5342 autopilot was disconnected and the aircraft began a shallow right turn off the Runway 1 localizer at a radio altitude of approximately 1,700 feet and an airspeed of 134 knots. This took place approximately 5 nautical miles south of the airport
20:45:30	The helicopter passed over the Memorial Bridge. CVR data revealed that the instructor pilot told the pilot that they were at 300 feet and needed to descend. The pilot said that they would descend to 200 feet
20:45:58	The helicopter crossed over the Washington Tidal Basin and followed the Washington Channel, consistent with Helicopter Route 1
20:46:02	A radio transmission from the tower was audible on the CVR of flight 5342 informing the helicopter crew that traffic just south of the Wilson Bridge was a CRJ at 1,200 feet, circling to land at Runway 33. CVR data from the helicopter indicated that the portion of the transmission stating the CRJ was "circling" may not have been received by the helicopter crew. The word "circling" is heard in ATC communications as well as the airplane's CVR, but not on the helicopter CVR
20:46:08	The helicopter crew reported that they had the traffic in sight and they requested to maintain a visual separation. The controller approved this request. At this time, the distance between the two aircraft was approximately 6.5 nautical miles
20:46:29	The crew of flight 5342 received a 1,000 feet automated callout
20:46:48	DCA tower cleared other jet traffic on Runway 1 for an immediate departure with no delay
20:47:27 (32 seconds before impact)	The helicopter passed the southern tip of Hains Point
Approximately 20:47:28	Flight 5342 began a left roll to turn onto final on Runway 33. The airplane was at a radio altitude of 516 feet and 133 knots
20:47:29	The crew of flight 5342 received a 500 feet automated callout
20:47:39 (20 seconds before impact)	A radio transmission from the tower asked the helicopter crew if the CRJ was in sight. A conflict alert was audible in the background of the ATC transmission
20:47:40	The crew of flight 5342 received a TCAS alert stating "Traffic, Traffic". At this time the aircraft were approximately 0.95 nautical miles apart
20:47:42 (17 seconds before impact)	ATC instructed the helicopter to pass behind the CRJ. CVR data from the helicopter indicates that the portion of the transmission that stated "pass behind the" may not have been received by the helicopter crew as the transmission was stepped on by a 0.8 second mic key from the helicopter
20:47:44	The helicopter crew indicated that the traffic was in sight and requested visual separation. This was approved by DCA tower. CVR data shows that after this transmission, the instructor pilot told the pilot that they believed ATC was asking for the helicopter to move left toward the east bank of the Potomac
20:47:52 (7 seconds before impact)	Flight 5342 rolled out on final approach for Runway 33. The airplane was at a radio altitude of 344 feet and at a speed of 143 knots
20:47:58 (1 second before impact)	Flight 5342 began to increase its pitch. FDR data showed the airplane's elevators were deflected near their maximum nose up travel
20:47:58	The controller issued a landing clearance to another aircraft. During this transmission audible reactions could be heard from other tower controllers as they observed the collision which occurred about 20:47:59 while flight 5342 was over the Potomac River on final approach for Runway 33

The FDR of flight 5342 indicated that the airplane's last recorded radio altitude was 313 feet, 2 seconds before the collision. The airplane's pitch at the time of the collision was 9 degrees nose up and its roll was 11 degrees left wing down. The airplane was descending at 448 feet per minute.

The helicopter FDR indicated that the radio altitude of the helicopter at the time of the collision was 278 feet and had been steady for the previous 5 seconds. The helicopter's pitch was about 0.5 degrees up with a left roll of 1.6 degrees.

Videos show that after the collision, the outboard left wing of the airplane separated and the airplane rolled about 450 degrees, impacting the water at an approximate 45 degree nose low attitude with a left roll of about 90 degrees.

After the collision, recovery efforts were undertaken to recover the airframes and the CVR and FDR from the aircraft.

The airplane sustained extensive water impact damage to most of its structure. The fuselage was recovered in 13 major sections and placed in a hanger at DCA.

The FDR and CVR from the airplane was recovered. The CVR contained 2 hours, 4 minutes of audio that started mid flight while the FDR recorded the entire flight. The helicopter recorder was also recovered. The helicopter CVR contained about 2 hours of audio.

The NTSB also reviewed the recorded pressure altitude values and revealed that they were inconsistent with other available data. As a result, the pressure altitude parameter was declared invalid.

As part of its investigation, the NTSB looked at close encounters between helicopters and commercial aircraft at DCA. Data revealed that between 2011 and 2024, the vast majority of reported events of encounters between helicopters and commercial aircraft occurred on approach to landing. Initial analysis also found that at least one TCAS resolution advisory (RA) was triggered per month due to the proximity of a helicopter. In over half of these instances, the helicopter may have been above the route altitude restrictions. Two thirds of these events occurred at night.

Between October 2021 and December 2024, there were a total of 944,179 IFR departures or arrivals at DCA. During that time, there were 15,214 times when a commercial airplane and a helicopter had a lateral separation distance of less than 1 nautical mile and a vertical separation of less than 400 feet. There were 85 recorded events that involved a lateral separation of less than 1,500 feet and a vertical separation of less than 200 feet.

As a result, on January 31st 2025, the FAA issued a NOTAM prohibiting helicopter traffic from operating over the Potomac River near DCA up to 17,999 feet with some exceptions.

Please note that the NTSB investigation is ongoing and these details are subject to change.

This event and subsequent NTSB investigation highlights the critical importance that air safety investigations have as they can help to understand what happened and help to prevent these accidents from happening again.

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