The second day of National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) hearings continued all day Thursday, July 31, 2025, with a panel of government and aviation experts answering questions regarding “Training, Guidance and Procedures Applicable to DCA (Reagan National Airport) Air Traffic Control.”
Many family members who lost loved ones, as well as a team of aviation attorneys from Clifford Law Offices, were observers at the NTSB headquarters in Washington, D.C., as hundreds and hundreds of questions were asked regarding the January 29th crash of a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter with an American Airlines regional jet, killing all 67 on board.
“The Army UH60 Black Hawk pressure altitude system was clearly not accurate enough to enable safe vertical separation from other aircraft on approach or departure from DCA airport using the published helicopter routes,” said Robert A. Clifford, founder and senior partner of Clifford Law Offices, who represents several families who lost loved ones in the tragedy. “This is a clear failure of the FAA and US Army to assure safe operations of these aircraft and helps explain why there have been so many near misses over the years at DCA between these helicopters and other aircraft operating at DCA.”
Clifford also serves as Lead Counsel in the 2019 crash of a Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft in Ethiopia that killed all 157 on board, which is pending in federal district court in Chicago.
The hearings regarding the midair crash, which at times have become heated, are expected to continue at least another day to discuss collision avoidance technology and safety data.
Gwen Duggins, mother of Kiah Duggins, 30, who perished in the crash as a passenger on AA Flight 5342, speaks to NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy on a break in the hearings.
Media Advisory: NTSB Schedules 3-Day Investigative Hearing on Mid-Air Collision of Passenger Jet and Military Helicopter
For further information, contact Clifford Law Offices Communications Partner Pamela Sakowicz Menaker at 847-721-0909 (cell)
pammenaker@cliffordlaw.com
www.CliffordLaw.com
About Clifford Law Offices
Clifford Law Offices is dedicated to serving the needs of families and individuals in the Chicago area and throughout the nation. With nearly four decades of experience in personal injury litigation, the firm has recovered over $5 billion for its clients, setting the gold standard for dedication to finding justice, impacting change in public policy, and recovering maximum compensation across a broad range of practice areas including aviation, transportation, medical malpractice, wrongful death, and product liability law. Clifford Law Offices – Righting the heaviest wrongs.