Night Before Midair Collision, Another Jet Almost Collided With Helicopter

A day before the tragic midair collision between an American Airlines regional jet and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter, a Republic Airways flight had to abort its landing at Reagan National Airport due to a nearby helicopter.

According to The Washington Post, Republic Airways Flight 4514 was preparing to land when air traffic controllers warned the pilot that a helicopter was nearby. The Embraer E-175's automated collision avoidance system was activated, and a "resolution advisory" was issued. The pilot aborted the landing, gained altitude, and then circled around the airport before landing safely.

On Wednesday (January 29), an American Airlines jet carrying 64 passengers collided with a Black Hawk helicopter that was on a training mission, killing all 67 individuals on board both aircraft, including 60 passengers and four crew members on the jet and three crew members on the helicopter.

Audio from the moments before the crash revealed that the helicopter pilot had requested visual separation from the plane, but the two aircraft continued on the same path.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading the investigation. The collision has highlighted staffing issues with air traffic controllers at airports across the country.