Former Pilots of Army’s 12th Aviation Battalion Say Route of Black Hawk Helicopter That Collided with American Airlines Flight Is Safe and Familiar
The pilots flying the Black Hawk helicopter that collided with an American Airlines flight on Wednesday night were from the Army’s 12th Aviation Battalion, a unit that regularly flies near Reagan National Airport. According to former pilots in the unit, the low-level helicopter routes have been in operation for decades and are a complex and busy area of airspace.
“It is a concert or orchestra of activity that requires careful communication and cooperation between pilots and Reagan tower,” said Brad Bowman, a former Black Hawk pilot and member of the 12th Aviation Battalion. “Everyone has to be on their game and follow instruction exactly.”
The soldiers flying the Black Hawk were “fairly experienced,” and they were on an annual proficiency training flight, said Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. The 12th Aviation Battalion, based out of Fort Belvoir, Virginia, frequently flies along the Potomac River and past the airport for various missions, including picking up general officers or VIPs.
The route past Reagan National Airport is the lowest point of the entire route, with the intention of getting low to “deconflict with aircraft at Reagan,” Bowman added. “It’s not highly unusual, it’s routine,” he said. “I’d say every day, certainly Monday through Friday, we had at least one if not multiple aircraft from my company, much less the whole battalion, flying that route.”
Roughly 100 government helicopter flights occur daily through the corridor where the crash happened, including by Army, Marine, Navy, FBI, and Department of Homeland Security aircraft, said another former pilot of the unit. The pilots of the American Airlines flight also had extensive experience.