REPORT: Pilot error appears to be reason Black Hawk crashed with AA plane

On January 29, 2025, Americans watched in horror as video was posted of an Army Black Hawk colliding with an American Airlines passenger plane.

We have heard all kinds of excuses, but it now appears that the main reason was the pilots in the box.

Bad readings

About two weeks after the mid-air collision that left no survivors, a report surfaced that the altimeter in the Black Hawk may not have been functioning properly.

NTSB chairwoman Jennifer Homendy suggested this because the Black Hawk was in restricted airspace and was not supposed to be over 200 feet, but the helicopter was reportedly at 278 feet at the time of the crash.

She added that investigators were "seeing conflicting information in the data,” so the investigation into the crash was ongoing.

It was also at this time that we learned the pilots may have missed some key information because the air traffic controller had been “stepped on,” meaning the pilots were talking over the tower and did not hear the recommendation to “pass behind the CRJ.”

Did not hear order

Not long after that report, another report surfaced stating that the helicopter was reportedly at about 325 feet when the crash occurred, significantly over the 200-foot restriction.

The pilot reportedly stated they were at 300 feet, but the co-pilot reportedly stated they were at 400 feet, so something was clearly amiss. Regardless, they were well above the restrictions in that airspace.

At this time, the crew was identified as Capt. Rebecca M. Lobach of North Carolina (pilot); Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O'Hara, 28, of Georgia; and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39, of Maryland (co-pilot/instructor).

Homendy added, "We're only a couple weeks out. We have a lot of work to do."

Pilot reror

This now appears to be pilot error, with both Lobach and Eaves making some mistakes, the most important of which now appears stepping on the tower, having missed some key instructions.

Secondly, Eaves reportedly asked for permission for manual avoidance of the aircraft, which is not uncommon, but when you consider the conflicting reading errors, this was arguably not the smartest request to make at the time.

On top of that, the report further stated that Lobach did not heed a warning by Eaves seconds before the crash to change her flight path to avoid the incoming American Airlines passenger plane.

Since the crash, Transportation Secretary Duffy has stated that he would like to end the ability for pilots to go manual, likening this particular situation to “threading a needle.” The bottom line is that there several breakdowns in communication, most of them with the two pilots who should have known better. This accident never should have happened.