Family Members of Crash Victims Expected to Attend 3/27/2025 Senate Aviation Subcommittee Hearing on Midair Collision Over the Potomac; Top Aviation Officials Expected to Testify
Family members of victims of the January 29 midair collision of a commercial jet and military helicopter will be in attendance at the Thursday, March 27, 2025 US Senate aviation subcommittee hearing that will discuss the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) Preliminary Report on the matter.
Attending will be Dailey Crafton, brother of Casey Crafton who was among those killed onboard the American Airlines jet that collided into an Army helicopter as the plane approached the runway at Reagan National Airport (DCA) in Washington, DC. All 67 onboard both aircraft were killed.
Clifford Law Offices, a leading aviation firm in Chicago, filed last month pre-case claims against the federal government and letters of preservation against potential defendants on behalf of the widow of Casey and their three young sons.
Thursday’s hearing of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation, Space, and Innovation will examine preliminary findings from the NTSB including data that detailed thousands of near collisions at DCA over the years.
Scheduled to testify beginning at 10 a.m. EST are NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy; Chris Rocheleau, Acting Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); and Brigadier General Matthew Braman, Director, Army Aviation, United States Army.
In a 20-page preliminary report released March 11, the NTSB also made several recommendations including the continued barring of helicopter traffic over a four-mile stretch over the Potomac River that took effect shortly after the deadly Jan. 29 crash when American Airlines PSA Flight 5342 and a U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter collided at night.
Clifford Law Offices sent preservation letters to American Airlines and its regional carrier, PSA, as well as Sikorsky Aircraft, manufacturer of the military helicopter, and Collins Aerospace, to preserve all evidence involving the mid-air crash. Clifford Law Offices also filed a government-issued “Form 95” that is required to present claims against the United States under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) for property damage, personal injury, or wrongful death allegedly caused by a federal employee’s negligence or wrongful act occurring within the scope of the employee’s federal employment. The $250 million claims are directed against multiple governmental agencies that may be responsible. The government has six months from the filing date to act upon the claims, and, if rejected or not acted upon within that time, plaintiffs have the right in the next two years to file lawsuits in federal district court that would be heard by a judge. Jury trials are not allowed in civil wrongful death actions against the government.
Further information, contact Clifford Law Offices Communications Partner, Pamela Sakowicz Menaker at 847-721-0909 (cell).