A deadly midair collision between American Airlines Flight 5342 and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter near Washington, DC, on Wednesday night has raised serious questions about failures leading up to the disaster that killed 67 people, including three soldiers.
A heartbroken husband and father has revealed that his wife Justyna and 12-year-old daughter Brielle were on board the tragic flight.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Eaves
Ryan O'Hara
The crash occurred just before 9 p.m. ET, when the American Airlines jet, carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, was approaching Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. New revelations suggest that an air traffic controller was allowed to leave their post early, just before the collision, while one controller was left to handle both helicopter traffic and manage planes—something that typically requires two operators, according to The New York Times.
These duties are usually divided between two controllers from 10 a.m. until 9:30 p.m., but the supervisor reportedly allowed the early departure before the scheduled cutoff. The FAA’s preliminary report stated that the staffing configuration on the night of the crash “was not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic.”
It remains unclear why the supervisor allowed the air traffic controller to leave early. At the same time, it emerged that the Army Black Hawk helicopter, which was carrying three soldiers, might have deviated from its approved flight path. The Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk had been cleared to fly no higher than 200 feet along the east side of the Potomac River to avoid the passenger jet, but insiders revealed that the helicopter was flying at more than 300 feet and a half-mile off course.
Married couple Roger and Stephanie Haynos were on the flight with their son, returning home as part of a team of skaters from the US Ice Skating Championships.
The helicopter pilot had confirmed sight of the American Airlines flight and was instructed to follow behind the plane. However, sources claim the pilot did not follow these directions. A senior Army official confirmed the pilot was familiar with the strict altitude restrictions and the route. The American Airlines flight, a Bombardier CRJ700, had requested a runway change as it neared the airport. Originally cleared to land on Runway 1, the controller instructed the plane to land on Runway 33, a move described as routine for regional jets.
Approximate collision location for American Eagle Flight 5342
According to five current and former controllers, the lone air traffic controller should have been more proactive in directing the two aircraft away from each other, especially given the darkness, which made it difficult for both pilots to gauge their distance. Reagan National Airport has faced chronic understaffing for years, with just 19 fully certified controllers as of September 2023, well below the target of 30.
Danasia Elder was identified as one of the flight attendants aboard the commercial plane.
The crash resulted in a massive fireball, visible on dashcam footage from nearby vehicles, before the wreckage plunged into the Potomac River. On Thursday, authorities confirmed the deaths of all 67 individuals aboard both aircraft. The operation was switched from rescue to recovery as investigators began searching for clues. Later that evening, salvage teams recovered two black boxes from the American Airlines flight, which will assist in piecing together the exact events leading to the collision.
The victims included passengers from Russia, China, Germany, and the Philippines, including young figure skaters. Among the flight crew were Captain Jonathan Campos, 34, and First Officer Samuel Lilley. Authorities are continuing their investigation into the causes of this tragic crash.
