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1 1 (January 30, 2025)

handle is hein.crs/goveshs0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Midair Collision in Washington, DC, Focuses National Attention on Aviation Safety January 30, 2025 On the night of January 29, 2025, a crash involving a Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet 700 (CRJ-700) and a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter occurred over the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). The CRJ-700, operated by PSA Airlines as American Eagle Flight 5342 and providing scheduled service between Wichita, KS, and Washington, DC, reportedly had 60 passengers and 4 crewmembers on board. The U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter was reportedly based out of Fort Belvoir, VA, and operating with three servicemembers on board. The last major civil air transportation disaster of this scale in the United States occurred in February 2009, when Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashed while on approach to Buffalo, NY, killing 50 people. Air Crash Investigations The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), an independent federal agency, has primary responsibility for investigating air crashes in the United States. The applicable authority ofNTSB defined in 49 U.S.C. §1131-1132 mandates that it investigate and establish the facts, circumstances, and cause or probable cause of all crashes involving civil aircraft and, with the participation of appropriate military authorities, each accident involving both military and civilian aircraft. During the fact-gathering phase of an investigation, NTSB uses a party system to leverage resources from various organizations with connections to the accident and having specific knowledge and expertise to assist the investigation. Parties to an NTSB air safety investigation may include the airline or aircraft operator, labor organizations representing pilots or other personnel (such as maintainers and air traffic controllers), the aircraft manufacturer, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The statute guarantees that the Department of Transportation (DOT) can participate in any NTSB investigation, but it may not participate in establishing a probable cause. Following the DCA crash, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy indicated that he directed DOT and FAA to provide full support to NTSB and all responding agencies. During fact gathering, NTSB establishes a number of focused working groups consisting of staff and party representatives who specialize in specific areas, such as aircraft structures, systems, engines, operational factors, air traffic control, meteorology, human factors, and survival factors. The fact- Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov IN12498 CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress