Overview
- The 60 Minutes report, which aired Sunday night, released previously unseen footage of the January 29, 2025 collision near Reagan National that killed 67 people aboard an American Airlines jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk.
- Documents obtained by the program show two near misses the day before the crash and detail years of controller warnings about low‑altitude military helicopters mixing with airliners over the Potomac in the tight D.C. airspace.
- Investigators described last‑second breakdowns before impact, including incorrect altitude data reaching the helicopter and a blocked radio transmission that told the Black Hawk to pass behind the jet.
- The NTSB has blamed systemic FAA failures for the accident, and the agency has since ended "visual separation" in this airspace and tightened helicopter routes and operations near Reagan National.
- Transportation officials say roughly $12–$12.5 billion is now committed to modernize air traffic control and better link civilian and military tracking systems, as CBS’s interviews with widows highlight the human stakes of making those changes stick.