NTSB to rule on cause of midair collision that killed 67 people near D.C. airport
The National Transportation Safety Board is set to hold its final meeting Tuesday on the midair collision between a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines passenger jet that killed 67 people nearly a year ago. The board is expected to rule on the probable cause and issue safety recommendations.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy told CBS News that "it is clear to the NTSB" on what happened in the incident, which will be discussed in detail on Tuesday, but we shouldn't expect a smoking gun.
"These are complex investigations, and it's not just one thing," Homendy said. "It ends up that it's numerous failures in the system that led to a tragedy."
Homendy said that the investigation was very broad and there will be a lengthy list of recommendations in the NTSB's final report.
"I can tell you now we are going to have a lot of findings, more than I have ever seen on an investigation that I've been part of, and a pretty lengthy list of recommendations that must be implemented following our issuance of the final report," Homendy said.
Thursday marks a year since an Army Black Hawk helicopter carrying three soldiers and an American Airlines plane with 60 passengers and four crew on board collided in midair near Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., and crashed into the Potomac River. It was the deadliest plane crash in the U.S. since November 2001.
Last month, the U.S. government admitted in a court filing that it was partially at fault for the midair collision because the crew of the Army Black Hawk helicopter failed to establish and maintain proper and safe visual separation with the passenger jet.