New details are emerging about the Army Black Hawk helicopter involved in Wednesday's deadly midair collision. Three U.S. service members were on board the aircraft as part of a nighttime training mission. CBS News' Charlie D'Agata has more.

Washington

A regional jet carrying 64 people collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter while on approach to Reagan National Airport near Washington, DC.

D.C. Crash

New details have been released regarding the U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter involved in a fatal midair collision during a nighttime training mission. The training flight, which took off from Fort Belvoir, was part of routine annual retraining conducted in a standard corridor. This exercise was associated with a government readiness plan for a catastrophic attack on the Capitol, involving the potential evacuation and relocation of federal agencies.

The helicopter, flying along a corridor near Reagan National Airport, had three experienced service members on board, including the pilot, co-pilot, and crew chief Ryan O'Hara. Tragically, O'Hara, a husband and father, was among those killed in the collision. Former Black Hawk pilot Bradley Bowman noted that the airspace around the airport is extremely congested, making it one of the busiest in the nation. The reasons behind the collision with an airliner, including why both were at the same altitude, remains the primary focus of the investigation.

According to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, there was nothing unusual about the flight itself, but questions arise regarding the helicopter's proximity to such busy airspace. The necessity of simulating real-life scenarios for crew assessment has been highlighted, emphasizing the challenge and importance of dealing with potential emergencies in complex air conditions.



New details about military helicopter involved in midair collision

No excuses. We're going to get to the bottom of this. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said there was nothing unusual about the flight, which took off from nearby Fort Belvoir. Routine annual retraining of night flights on a standard corridor for a continuity of government mission. That government mission, a readiness exercise in the event of a catastrophic attack on the Capitol. It's a plan that includes the mass evacuation and relocation of every federal government agency, including the White House. The pilot, co-pilot and crew chief Ryan O'Hara, who leaves behind a wife and a one-year-old son were killed. The Army said they were all very experienced. Why their Blackhawk collided with the airliner is still the key question. For some reason, he had a helicopter that was at the same height, obviously, when they hit, but pretty much the same height and going at an angle that was unbelievably bad. Former Blackhawk pilot Bradley Bowman flew this route along the Potomac many times. What are the challenges? The area around Reagan National Airport is one of the busiest, if not the busiest in the nations. And it's all in a relatively tight space. Had they been headed to that aircraft? Yeah. It's a maneuverable. Like a Porsche in the sky, very maneuverable, lots of power. They could have maneuvered quickly if they'd seen the problem. So many have asked why the exercise is taking place so close to the airport. It was explained to me that crew assessment must take place in a real-life scenario, in this case that congested airspace in the dark, to make sure the crew can handle it if called upon in an emergency.

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