The US government admitted liability this week in the mid-air collision between an Army helicopter and a jet in Washington, DC, that killed 67 people earlier this year, according to court documents.
“The United States admits that it owed a duty of care to Plaintiffs, which it breached, thereby proximately causing the tragic accident on January 29, 2025,” the Justice Department wrote in a court filing for a federal lawsuit brought by the family of victim Casey Crafton on Wednesday.
Army pilots flying the Black Hawk helicopter on Jan. 29 had failed to maintain “vigilance”and “proper and safe visual separation,” with an American Airlines jet — causing the deadly collision over the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, the 209-page filing said.
The three-soldier crew also failed to abide by altitude restrictions, the document added.
“The Army crew negligently flew off the flight route towards the center of the Potomac River at too high an altitude,” the filing stated.
The filing also admitted that the Federal Aviation Administration and the US Army had access to data and reports that showed repeated near-collisions and aircraft that had come into too close a proximity to each other at the DC airport.
The collision, which claimed 67 lives — including every person onboard American Eagle Flight 5342, is the deadliest commercial crash on US soil in more than two decades.
The National Transportation Safety Board is slated to release its report on the cause of the crash early next year.
Robert Clifford, one of the attorneys for the family of Crafton, told the Associated Press that the government admitted “the Army’s responsibility for the needless loss of life.”
He added that the filing highlighted the FAA’s failure to follow air traffic control procedures while “rightfully” acknowledging others, including American Airlines and PSA Airlines, also contributed to the deaths.
The families of the victims “remain deeply saddened and anchored in the grief caused by this tragic loss of life,” he said.
The FAA, US Army, and American Airlines did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
With Post wires
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