Posted on 10/08/2026 4:56:28 PM PDT by Red Badger
Family members of those killed in a January 2025 crash in which an Army Black Hawk helicopter hit a civilian airliner are irked over a new report that lets leaders off the hook.
Sixty-seven people died in the incident in which the helicopter and an American Airlines jet collided, with pieces of the wreckage falling into the frigid Potomac River.
An Army report listed multiple long-standing issues that contributed to the disaster, but did not say whether anyone was punished, according to The Washington Post.
When families of those killed on American Airlines Flight 5342 were able to preview the report, they encountered vast sections of redacted text.
“The Army owes the families and the American public a full accounting of how these risks were allowed to persist, who was responsible for the decisions that allowed them to persist and what will be done to make sure this never happens again,” Tim Lilley, a former Black Hawk pilot and commercial airline captain. His son, Sam Lilley, was the first officer on the doomed airliner.
“We again call for the Army Inspector General to perform the independent audit formally requested by 24 U.S. Senators well over a year ago: it’s time to do your job,” a group comprised of family members of passengers who were killed said..
The Post said the report “cites the Army for not resolving flaws in instruments that were known to give inaccurate altitude readings on older Black Hawk models -- including the helicopter involved in the collision -- or ensuring that pilots were aware of the problem.”
The report also said that the Army did not collect information on close calls or provide training on the dangers of flying in D.C.’s crowded airspace.
The report noted that at times, military helicopters and civilian jets were as little as 75 feet apart.
That matters a lot in this case, because older Black Hawk helicopters had barometric altimeters that could be off by 140 feet. Readings could be further skewed if a chopper was carrying extra fuel tanks, as was one the one that went down last January.
Ping.......
The squadron commander should have been fired within 72 hours. The Army appears not as serious about such things as Navy.
Can somebody ‘splain that one? I’m missing the connection between altimeters and fuel tanks...
External attachments could alter the airflow over the very sensitive ‘static ports’ with are used to provide aircraft altitude.
I figured it was some sort of aerodynamic pressure wave between the tanks and the static ports.
had to look it up though.
Carrying external or auxiliary fuel tanks on a Black Hawk helicopter introduces a significant static position error, causing the barometric altimeter to misreport the aircraft’s altitude by reading lower than its actual height. This error is primarily an aerodynamic issue rather than a mechanical failure of the instrument itself.
How the Tanks Cause the Error
• Altered Airflow: Mounting external tanks—such as via the External Stores Support System (ESSS)—changes the physical profile of the helicopter. This disrupts the smooth airflow around the fuselage where the static ports are located.
• Disrupted Static Pressure: The altered airflow creates localized pressure changes around the static ports. Because barometric altimeters rely entirely on precise ambient static pressure to calculate altitude, this distortion skews the readings.
• Speed and Altitude Factors: The discrepancy becomes significantly more pronounced at low altitudes and high speeds.
Roger that, thanks.
Thanks to you too.
Low hour DEI protected pilot. IP worried about his career - even if he was worth a shit. Flying the mission at a stupid time. They should have gone later someone didn’t want to stay up late. I was a crew chief. 81-90. I flew with the best. Fight me.
She killed all those people. She had no business piloting that helicopter in that airspace. Whoever let her do it was equally responsible.
She killed all those people. She had no business piloting that helicopter in that airspace. Whoever let her do it was equally responsible.
She killed all those people. She had no business piloting that helicopter in that airspace. Whoever let her do it was equally responsible.
She killed all those people. She had no business piloting that helicopter in that airspace. Whoever let her do it was equally responsible.
She killed all those people. She had no business piloting that helicopter in that airspace. Whoever let her do it was equally responsible.
She killed all those people. She had no business piloting that helicopter in that airspace. Whoever let her do it was equally responsible.
She killed all those people. She had no business piloting that helicopter in that airspace. Whoever let her do it was equally responsible.
She killed all those people. She had no business piloting that helicopter in that airspace. Whoever let her do it was equally responsible.
She killed all those people. She had no business piloting that helicopter in that airspace. Whoever let her do it was equally responsible.
She killed all those people. She had no business piloting that helicopter in that airspace. Whoever let her do it was equally responsible.
She killed all those people. She had no business piloting that helicopter in that airspace. Whoever let her do it was equally responsible.
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