According to publicly available flight data analyzed by CBS News, the military Black Hawk helicopter collided with a passenger jet near Reagan National Airport on Wednesday appears to have been flying above the permitted altitude.
This critical data point is among several key aspects investigators examine as they work to determine the cause of what aviation experts describe as the nation’s worst air disaster in over a decade.
“That’s the $64 million question that needs to be answered,” said Greg Feith, a former senior air safety investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), in an interview with CBS News.
The designated flight ceiling over the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport is 200 feet—an essential restriction designed to keep military helicopters safely separated from the steady flow of commercial air traffic in and out of Washington, D.C.
FlightRadar24, a widely used flight tracking service, recorded the helicopter’s last estimated altitude at approximately 400 feet at the time of the crash. Data from FlightAware and FlightRadar24 indicated the jet was flying at around 375 to 400 feet.
Experts Question Helicopter’s Altitude Before Collision
Aviation experts are questioning why the Black Hawk was operating significantly above its assigned ceiling.
“They’re military pilots; they’re familiar with the routes,” Feith noted. “Why is it on this day, on that flight, they were [as much as] 150 to 200 feet higher than they knew they should be?”
Steven B. Wallace, a former director of accident investigations for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), told CBS News he expects investigators to focus on the altitude deviation as a primary concern.
“I don’t want to speculate on the cause, but I can speculate what’s going through the mind of the investigators,” Wallace said. “I think that is very likely going to be the focus.”
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stated that the investigation is assessing whether the aircraft was at the correct altitude at the time of the accident. While the NTSB has not disclosed specific altitude details in their briefings, the agency has confirmed that its working groups are analyzing the helicopter’s “pre-impact course and altitude.”
History of Helicopter Incidents at Reagan National
The Black Hawk’s deviation from its permitted altitude is not an isolated incident. There have been multiple near-collisions involving helicopters at Reagan National Airport in recent years.
In July 2015, a near midair collision occurred 400 feet above ground on approach to the same runway used in Wednesday’s crash—Runway 33. A review of anonymous reports from NASA’s Aviation Safety Reporting System revealed that a pilot involved in that incident described the aircraft as coming into “very close contact” with another.
“This occurred about 400 feet off the ground to the point where the pilot monitoring had to take the controls to make a correction in order to prevent it from becoming a midair collision,” the 2015 report stated.
A similar incident occurred in May 2013 when a pilot reported difficulties with a helicopter while preparing to land on Runway 33. The pilot wrote in the report that the control tower had instructed the helicopter to “make a right 360 for a jet on a 2-mile final for Runway 33” and to maintain visual separation.
“As we began our turn from base to final, the helicopter made what looked like a right turn directly into our flight path,” the pilot reported. He described executing a hard right turn to abort the landing and avoid a collision.
Investigators Examine Key Factors
CBS News’ review of NASA safety data has identified at least nine near midair collisions at Reagan National since 2005, including three involving helicopters.
Investigators from the NTSB and military are expected to examine multiple factors in the Black Hawk crash, including the helicopter’s altimeters, possible wind conditions that could have affected altitude control, and whether the crew was using night vision goggles.
The flight recorders from both aircraft have been recovered from the Potomac River and are expected to provide crucial insights into the sequence of events leading up to the collision.
Feith emphasized the significance of the altitude discrepancy in the accident.
“If they had been at 200 feet, there wouldn’t have been an issue because the plane typically would’ve been 400 to 500 feet off the ground,” he explained. “Those two RJ [regional jet] pilots didn’t know what hit them until the helicopter hit them.”
As the investigation unfolds, aviation authorities and military officials continue to analyze the circumstances surrounding the crash, seeking to prevent future incidents of this nature.
