Kreindler Retained by Multiple Families in Mid-Air Collision of American Airlines Jet and Army Helicopter over Potomac at DC Reagan National Airport

February 1, 2025

What Happened to American Eagle Flight 5342 Airplane and U.S. Army Blackhawk Helicopter

On Wednesday, January 29, 2025, at 8:47 p.m., American Eagle Flight 5342, a Bombardier CRJ700 airplane, operated by PSA Airlines (a subsidiary of American Airlines), and a U.S. Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter collided over the Potomac River in Washington D.C. near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia.

The American Eagle Bombardier CRJ700 passenger airplane carried 60 passengers and four crew members, while the Black Hawk carried three service members. Tragically, there were no survivors.

Who knows more about aviation law than attorneys who are also licensed, commercial pilots?

Kreindler Partners and Former Military Pilots (L-R):
Justin Green (USMC)
Brian Alexander (U.S. Army)
Dan Rose (U.S. Navy)

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is an extremely busy airport and contains 3 runways. American Eagle Flight 5342 was on a standard approach to runway 1, but air traffic control directed the flight to circle and land on runway 33. The Black Hawk helicopter was communicating with air traffic control as it transited the area along a low-level helicopter route over the Potomac River. Preliminary information indicates that the air traffic controller saw the two aircraft coming together and shortly before the collision communicated with the Black Hawk to fly behind Flight 5342. It does not appear, however, that air traffic control issued a safety alert. It will take time before all the factors that lead to this accident are uncovered.

Kreindler partners and veteran military pilots Justin Green and Dan Rose spoke to USA Today about the latest developments related to potential litigation as a result of the crash. “The transcripts and social media posts are already part of the fabric of the case and could be introduced as evidence,” according to Green. Attorney Rose added, “everybody knew for two decades a ground incursion or midair collision was the most likely soft spot and nothing was done. I expect changes will be made as a result.” 

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Army will investigate the accident.  The NTSB will issue a preliminary report in the coming two weeks that will set forth some basic facts concerning the accident.  The NTSB’s investigation, however, will take many months and it may be more than a year before the NTSB schedules a public hearing and issues its probable cause determination.  The Army will coordinate with the NTSB in investigating the accident. 

Our investigation will look into all facets, including airspace design, air traffic control and staffing, and human factor elements, including piloting.  We are committed to ensuring that an accident of this nature never occurs again.  

Kreindler Attorneys Published Warnings About Air Traffic Control Crisis

Kreindler lawyers have written numerous articles and appeared on national media for years regarding the Air Traffic Control crisis that has existed for a long time. As Partner Erin Applebaum warned in a December 2023 aviation podcast, given the current state of affairs with Air Traffic Control in the U.S., it was not a matter of if, but only when would a catastrophic collision occur.

JANUARY 2025

In an unfortunately prescient circumstance, New York Law Journal published Kreindler partner Kevin Mahoney’s 2025 article about the increasing likelihood of a major aviation collision only hours prior to the American Airlines Army Black Hawk DC collision.
Click below to read In Aviation Collisions: Legal Duties and Responsibilities. 

December 2023 

Kreindler Partner Brian Alexander wrote about the burgeoning Air Traffic Control crisis. Practically born on the tarmac, Alexander’s father was a career air traffic controller and his mother worked for American Airlines. While in the service, U.S. Army Captain Alexander was based at Fort Belvoir and frequently flew helicopters along the same path as the doomed January 29th flight.
Click below to read, Air Traffic Control Understaffed & Undertrained: Solving the Airport Labor Crisis Before It’s Too Late, which was published by Simple Flying Magazine. 

DECEMBER 2023

Kreindler Partner Erin Applebaum warned on the Aviation Geeks podcast that because of government delays on confronting the Air Traffic Control labor crisis, a catastrophic aviation collision in the U.S. was an inevitability.
Listen to the 2023 podcast.  

Kreindler has literally written the book on aviation accident law. Our partners frequently author articles for the aviation and legal industries, speak at industry events and lead CLE courses for other attorneys to learn more about aviation law.

National Media Turns to Kreindler for Legal Insight

Kreindler partners and veteran military pilots Brian Alexander, Justin Green and Dan Rose have appeared on all media - television, radio and internet to offer their experience and insight to the the national conversation.  

Preliminary Investigation of the American Eagle CRJ700 Airplane and Blackhawk Helicopter Collision

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will lead the investigation into the tragic collision. According to a CNN report, the pilots aboard American Eagle flight 5342 and the military pilots would have been familiar with navigating the busy airspace around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

2024 Transportation Law Firm of the Year - National Law Journal

For over 75 years, Kreindler’s experience with aviation accident cases is unmatched by any other airplane crash law firm in the world. Our attorneys have been lead counsel in nearly every major airline disaster case, as well as countless private, charter, military, general aviation and helicopter cases. Kreindler was the first law firm in 1952 to successfully prosecute a commercial aviation plane crash case on behalf of multiple passengers and in 2003, Kreindler set a single aviation disaster settlement record that still stands today — obtaining nearly $3 billion from Libya and Pan Am in lawsuits arising out of the bombing of Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.   

Kreindler’s Experience with Air Traffic Control and FAA Cases

Kreindler has a long history of successfully investigating and prosecuting Air Traffic Control (ATC) cases against the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Kreindler’s partial list of cases that involved air traffic control failures includes: 

• 2009 Hudson River mid-air collision, New York,
• Piper Cherokee airplane crash, Prince George’s County, MD 
• Piper 425 Conquest airplane crash, Islip, NY 
• Piper Lance airplane crash, Great Smoky Mountains, TN
• Cirrus SR20 airplane crash, Stewart International Airport, Newburgh, NY 
• Korean Airlines Flight 801 Boeing 747 airplane crash, Asan, Guam 
• Continental Airlines Flight 1404 Boeing 737 airplane crash, Denver, CO 
• Socata TBM 700 airplane crash - New Bedford, MA 
• Socata TBM 700 airplane crash - Morristown, NJ  
• Swedish Student Pilots aircraft collision, California Cessna 172 aircraft collision, Farmingdale, NY 
• Hawker Beechcraft BE35 airplane crash, Bethpage - Long Island, NY 
  

Aviation Accident Laws, Statutes and Regulations

Any potential aviation accident litigation will involve a multi-faceted body of laws, statutes and regulations.
These include: 

• Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA)
• Federal Aviation Act
• Federal Air Traffic Control Rules and Regulations

We wrote the book

Kreindler has written the book on aviation accident law. Our partners have authored numerous highly acclaimed books, articles and treatises, including the leading treatise in the aviation litigation field, Aviation Accident Law.

Look inside the book here

About Kreindler 

Kreindler is the preeminent aviation accident law firm in the world. Our attorneys have been appointed leading counsel in nearly every major commercial airline disaster case in the U.S. and abroad. The firm was recently named 2024 Transportation Law Firm of the Year by the National Law Journal. Kreindler’s aviation practice is led by attorneys who are also commercial-rated, veteran military pilots. Kreindler’s aviation accident attorneys have achieved an unmatched record of success representing people globally who have been injured or lost family members in international and domestic airline disasters. Our firm maintains offices in New York, Boston and Los Angeles.