US government admits negligence in helicopter-plane collision that killed 67 in Washington

WASHINGTON (AP) — The government admitted Wednesday that the Federal Aviation Administration and the Army played a role in causing the collision last January between an airliner and a Black Hawk helicopter near the nation’s capital, killing 67 people.

The official response to the first lawsuit filed by one of the victims’ families said that the government is liable in the crash partly because the air traffic controller violated procedures that night.

But the filing suggested that others, including the pilots of the jet and helicopter, also played a role. The lawsuit also blamed American Airlines and its regional partner, PSA Airlines, for the crash, but those airlines have filed motions to dismiss.

At least 28 bodies were pulled from the icy waters of the Potomac River after the helicopter apparently flew into the path of the American Airlines regional jet while it was landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport in northern Virginia, just across the river from the nation’s capital, officials said. The plane carried 60 passengers and four crew members, and three soldiers were aboard the helicopter.

One of the attorneys for the family of Casey Crafton, Robert Clifford, said the families and their counsel will carefully study the new legal filings. Clifford said the government “rightfully acknowledges” it’s not the only one responsible for the crash and that it was one of several causes.

Clifford said his team would continue to investigate the crash to ensure all parties at fault are held responsible and awaits additional findings from a Jan. 26 NTSB hearing.

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