The United States government has announced that it believes the actions of air traffic controllers and Army helicopter pilots played a role in the plane crash that killed 67 people, including 14 elite young figure skaters, near Washington, D.C. in January.
The accident occurred when American Eagle Flight 5342 collided with a Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River shortly before 9 p.m. on January 29. It was the deadliest plane crash on American soil in more than two decades.
Court documents obtained by ESPN determined that air traffic controllers “violated visual separation procedures that night” and that the pilots failed “to maintain vigilance so as to see and avoid” the aircraft, which was bound for the nearby Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The ruling came out of a lawsuit filed by one of the victims’ family members.
The lawsuit also suggested that American Airlines and its regional affiliate, PSA Airlines, may have also played a role in the crash, but ESPN reports both airlines have filed motions to dismiss.
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“The United States admits that it owed a duty of care to plaintiffs, which it breached, thereby proximately causing the tragic accident,” lawyers for the government said in the filing.
The figure skaters aboard the plane, along with many of their family members and coaches, were returning from Wichita, Kansas, where they had just competed in the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
“They were incredible athletes, caring and supportive family members, and coaches who worked tirelessly for their athletes. They were beloved members of our global skating community, and we mourn their loss together,” U.S. Figure Skating interim CEO Samuel Auxier said in a statement just days after the crash. “During the coming days and months, there will be many tributes to honor the victims. Our partner skating clubs, many of whom lost athletes who graced their ice, will be holding tributes and moments of silence.”
“Our sport and this Club have suffered a horrible loss with this tragedy,” the Skating Club of Boston said in a statement of its own, after losing six members of its chapter in the crash. “Skating is a tight-knit community where parents and kids come together 6 to 7 days a week to train and work together. Everyone is like family. Of the skaters, coaches and parents on the plane, we believe six were from The Skating Club of Boston. We are devastated and completely at a loss for words.”
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The statement continued, “These athletes, coaches and parents were returning from U.S. Figure Skating’s National Development Camp, following last week’s U.S. Championships in Wichita. This camp is for young competitive skaters of tomorrow with the most promise to be a champion of tomorrow. The Club sent 18 athletes to compete at the U.S. Championships. It sent 12 athletes to the National Development Camp.”
The National Transportation Safety Board is expected to release its report detailing the cause of the crash in early 2026. NTSB investigators have already found that the helicopter was flying 78 feet higher than the 200-foot limit for its route and that the FAA failed to heed the warnings from 85 previous near misses in the area over the previous three years.
