Another flight arriving at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport was forced to abort landing due to helicopter traffic just 24 hours before the tragic midair crash between an American Airlines plane and a Black Hawk chopper, according to a report.
Republic Airways Flight 4514, from Bradley International Airport in Connecticut, had to make a second approach at Reagan National on Tuesday — after a helicopter appeared near the plane’s flight path, the Washington Post reported.
The circuitous approach can be seen on radar images available on FlightAware.com.
Search and rescue teams work near the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, in the aftermath of the collision of American Eagle flight 5342 and a Black Hawk helicopter that crashed into the Potomac River, in Arlington, Virginia, January 30, 2025. REUTERS
An FBI agent carries debris, after American Eagle flight 5342 collided with a Black Hawk helicopter while approaching Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and crashed into Potomac River, in Arlington, Virginia, January 30, 2025. REUTERSThat plane was able to land safely — and even touched down thirteen minutes early, according to the site.
The next night, American Airlines Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kan. was readying to land at the same airport, just across the Potomac River from Washington, when it collided with a military helicopter shortly before 9 p.m.
All 60 passengers and four crew members aboard the jet were killed, along with three soldiers aboard the Army UH-60 Black Hawk in the deadliest air disaster in the US since 2001.
Air traffic controllers warned the military helicopter it was getting close to the plane before the fiery collision about 400 feet above the icy river, according to radio transmissions.
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It was revealed Thursday that one air traffic controller was doing the job of two staffers at the time of the crash – coordinating arriving and departing flights from the Reagan airport and directing helicopter traffic.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said that it was “too early to tell” whether human or mechanical error was at fault for the disaster.
Investigators with the agency recovered the black boxes from the American Airlines plane on Thursday night and will review the contents.
