The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) continues its third day of hearings on Friday, August 1, 2025, swearing in the fourth panel of expert witnesses surrounding the events of the January 29 midair crash of a U.S. Army helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet. NTSB officials expect to hear from a fifth panel today that deals with collision avoidance technology. Later, the final panel will discuss safety data and safety management systems.
The NTSB has been questioning witnesses regarding the January 29 collision between a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and a CRJ700 regional jet operated by American Airlines’ subsidiary, PSA Airlines, over the Potomac River that left 67 people dead.
At the hearing, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials faced tough questions on what were sometimes called disjointed protocols for air traffic controllers handling high-volume traffic in the complex airspace around Reagan National Airport, also known as DCA. Testimony indicated that DCA air traffic controllers handle approximately 30 arrivals per hour as well as a high volume of helicopter traffic from military, medical transport, and law enforcement operators, according to NTSB investigative documents.
Gwen Duggins, mother of Kiah Duggins, 30, who perished in the crash as a passenger on AA Flight 5342, speaks to a USA Today reporter while on a break during the hearings.
Gwen Duggins is wearing this photo with her daughter Kiah, taken just before their birthdays, around her neck while attending the NTSB hearings.
NTSB Hearings Day Three: Panel 5 to Discuss Air Safety and Air Safety Management Systems