Senators press Army on transparency after Black Hawk collision; Army cites ongoing investigations
Summary
Senators asked Army leaders to improve direct communication with families of victims from the January collision between a Black Hawk and a passenger jet. Army officials said investigations are ongoing and described immediate safety steps taken after the crash.
Senator Reid told the committee that families of the victims of the Jan. 20 collision between a U.S. Army Black Hawk and a commercial flight were frustrated by a perceived lack of direct communication from Army leadership.
“The family members have expressed to me significant concerns by the lack of transparency and direct communication with the Army, specifically army senior leaders,” Senator Reid said. He asked Secretary Driscoll to commit to establishing direct points of contact with the families.
Secretary Driscoll responded that the incident “is a tragedy” and that the Army is “doing everything we can to learn from the incident to ensure that it never occurs again.” He said both the NTSB and the Army are conducting investigations and that “the best advice we've received from counsel to date is to let those play out.”
Chief of Staff Randy George described immediate operational changes taken after the crash, including altered flight routes and increased coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration. “The biggest thing is the flight routes have completely changed...Immediately we had, we made adjustments,” George said, and added the Army was working closely with the FAA and improving ADS‑B communications.
Ending: Senators called for continued contact with families and more public explanation of safety changes; Army leaders said they will follow up and provide additional details as permitted by ongoing investigations and counsel.
