Army tightens helicopter safety protocols after deadly DC crash

In the wake of the January midair collision with an American Airlines flight near Ronald Reagan National Airport that killed 67 people, the US Army is making significant changes to its flight operations and safety procedures, officials told the Associated Press.

The crash, which involved an Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines commuter jet, has prompted scrutiny of the military’s use of a safety system known as ADSB-out—or Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast. The system continuously transmits an aircraft’s precise location to air traffic control and nearby aircraft, but the Army has often turned it off during sensitive missions.

Brig. Gen. Matthew Braman, head of Army aviation, said that while the Army retains its exemption from mandatory ADSB-out use, future flights will reduce reliance on that exception. “If they are not going to one of those sensitive locations, it should 100 percent be on,” Braman told the AP.

In addition, the Army has scaled back VIP helicopter flights, previously used to ferry high-ranking officers from the Pentagon. These are now largely limited to the Secretary of Defense and a few others.

According to FAA data, there has been an uptick in near-misses in the DC airspace. The crash investigation is ongoing, but it is widely assumed the Black Hawk had its ADSB-out system turned off. However, Braman said the helicopter's transponder was transmitting its location in multiple modes and was visible to both the jet and control tower.

To further enhance situational awareness, the Army is purchasing 1,600 ADSB-in systems, which allow helicopters to receive location data from other aircraft — technology many Army helicopters lacked due to cost. The FAA has since closed a low-altitude route over the Potomac that crossed the impacted runway's path.