US House panel opens investigation into fatal jet helicopter collision

FILE PHOTO: A crane retrieves part of the helicopter from the Potomac River, in the aftermath of the collision of American Eagle flight 5342 and a Black Hawk helicopter that crashed into the river, by the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., February 6, 2025. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. House of Representatives oversight subcommittee said Thursday it is investigating the collision in January between an Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet that killed 67 people near Washington Reagan National Airport.

The House Oversight subcommittee on Military and Foreign Affairs asked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to detail the steps the Defense Department "is taking to ensure that this type of accident does not happen again." Many lawmakers want to know why the Army helicopter was not using a key safety system at the time of the Jan. 29 collision.

(Reporting by David Shepardson)