Military investigation produces sweeping recommendations after Washington air disaster

A military investigation into last year’s Washington air disaster, obtained by POLITICO, contains dozens of internal recommendations, including that its helicopters in busy airspace be equipped with key location-receiving technology that is at the heart of a contentious air safety fight in Congress.

Families of those killed in the disaster had lobbied for the release of the 50 page reportdated May 14. The report received the approval of the Undersecretary Mike Obadal end of July.

The facts laid out in the document largely match what the National Transportation Safety Board previously revealed about the fatal crash between an Army Black Hawk helicopter and a PSA Airlines flight near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in January 2025.

But the report also includes more than 30 suggestions made by the Army’s investigating officer, Lt. Gen. Michael C. McCurryin response to the disaster, which killed 67 people, including the three soldiers aboard the Black Hawk. It was not immediately clear how many of the recommendations had been implemented. The military, in a fact sheet provided to POLITICO, said it had made changes related to aviation security: “Some measures have been completed; others remain in progress.”