Government officials said there were failures made by the Army Black Hawk helicopter crew and a Reagan National Airport tower controller that led to the helicopter's fatal collision with an American Airlines jet just outside Washington, D.C., in January.

The US government admitted partial fault for a deadly plane crash involving an Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Eagle airliner due to failure in maintaining visual separation, with an air traffic controller also partially blamed.

The US government admitted liability this week in the mid-air collision between an Army helicopter and a jet in Washington, DC, that killed 67 people earlier this year.

An aged helicopter fleet and inexperienced pilots from nearby Fort Belvoir had raised “widespread concern” among local pilots before a midair collision killed 67 people.

US government admits ‘breach of care’ as DOJ cites Army and FAA errors in January crash that killed 67 near Ronald Reagan airport in Washington.

The U.S. Justice Department said late on Wednesday (December 17) the federal government was liable in the fatal January 29 collision of an Army Black Hawk helicopter and American Airlines regional jet that killed 67 people near Reagan Washington National Airport.