How common are fatal crashes with military aircraft? What to know after DC collision
A catastrophic plane crash Wednesday, Jan. 29, in the Washington, D.C., area continues a long history of fatal accidents involving U.S. military aircraft.
There are believed to be no survivors in the crash, which occurred when an American Airlines plane collided mid-air with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The Associated Press reported three soldiers were in the helicopter.
Fatalities to all 67 people aboard the two aircraft would mean the crash is one of the 10 deadliest involving U.S. military aircraft, according to Simple Flying reporting.
The deadliest, according to Aviation Safety Network, came on Dec. 11, 1985, when 248 soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division were killed when Arrow Air Flight MF1285R crashed after taking off from Gander Airport in Newfoundland, Canada. Eight crew members also died in the accident.
Robert Smith, a former Military Police corporal with the Canadian Forces, told the Fort Campbell Courier the aftermath of the crash was “completely overwhelming.”
“When I got to the crash site I was just stunned,” Smith said. “I couldn’t believe that this plane ... there was really nothing left of it except for one or two engines. It basically disintegrated when it hit the ground.”
Simple Flying reported that 87 people died on Dec. 20, 1952, when a Douglas C-124 Globemaster II crashed near Moses Lake in Washington.
At the time, the crash was the deadliest crash in aviation history, according to HistoryLink.org. It remains the deadliest on American soil with a military aircraft.
Wednesday’s crash bares similarities to the Eastern Air Lines Flight 537 of 1949, when the passenger airliner collided mid-air with a Bolivian Air Force fighter jet. Aviation Safety Network said all 55 occupants of the commercial aircraft were killed after the plane crashed into the Potomac River.
“The Bolivian Ambassador explained to the press that the experienced military pilot had been dealing with an engine malfunction and didn’t hear the air traffic controller’s alarm,” the Arlington Historical Society said.
Wednesday’s crash is not the first monumental collision with a domestic airliner and a military plane. On June 6, 1971, 50 people died when the aircrafts collided mid-air near Duarte, California, according to the Aviation Safety Network.
The National Transportation Safety Board said both crews were unable to see one another and could not avoid the collision.
“In its final recommendations, the NTSB recommended that the Department of Defense restrict high-speed, low-altitude flights in civilian aircraft corridors,” Simply Flying reported.
A cause of Wednesday’s crash remains unknown as of Thursday afternoon. The Kansas City Star reported air traffic control did not receive a response from the Black Hawk helicopter before the collision.
This story was originally published January 30, 2025 at 1:50 PM with the headline "How common are fatal crashes with military aircraft? What to know after DC collision."