by Donald Wood
Last updated: 8:30 AM ET, Thu December 18, 2025
In a court filing Wednesday, the United States government
admitted that it was at least partially to blame for a midair collision earlier
this year that killed 67 people.
According to CBSNews.com,
the U.S. Department of Justice admitted “that it owed a duty of care to
Plaintiffs” after a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American
Airlines regional commercial airliner, operated by American Eagle.
In the 209-page filing, the U.S. government admitted that
the Black Hawk helicopter “failed to establish and maintain proper and safe
visual separation” as the American Eagle flight approached runway 33 at Reagan
National Airport near Washington, D.C.
In addition, the Justice Department also placed partial
blame on an air traffic controller working in the tower at Reagan airport, saying
they “negligently violated” a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) order by “failing
to follow the procedures for visual separation” between the helicopter and
passenger plane.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) continues to
investigate the incident, with its findings expected by the first anniversary
of the crash, which took place on January 29, 2025.
The court filing was in relation to a lawsuit filed by the
family of Casey Crafton, a passenger on the American Eagle flight, who was
killed in the accident.
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