January 31, 2025

The cause of the midair collision between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines flight on US local time Wednesday night that killed all 67 people on board both aircraft remains unclear, the Associated Press (AP) reported Friday. The AP stated it marked "the country's deadliest aviation disaster since 2001."

Also, according to the AP in a separate report on Friday, US military helicopter pilot training is under increased scrutiny in the wake of Wednesday night's fatal midair collision. The report noted that the latest accident follows a dozen fatal crashes during Army Black Hawk training missions since January 2014 that resulting in the deaths of 47 service members

The US National Transportation Safety Board said it was too soon to speculate the cause and pledged to release a preliminary report within 30 days. Officials said flight conditions were clear and that the jet coming from Wichita, Kansas, was making a routine landing when the helicopter flew into its path, AP said.

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