Flight 5342 In Fatal Midair Collision With Army Black Hawk Near Reagan National

The Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA) released a statement concerning the National Transportation Safety Board’s Preliminary Report on the mid-air collision between PSA Airlines Flight 5342 and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter while the airliner was on final approach into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) just outside of Washington, DC.

The statement by Capt. Jason Ambrosi, President of ALPA, follows:

"We are grateful to the NTSB for this preliminary report of their already extensive investigative work, which we were proud to support. Our efforts to advance aviation safety never stops, and as our industry processes recent events, it's more important than ever for all operators in our national airspace to remain vigilant and return to fundamentals.

“ALPA pledges our full support to the continued investigation and to work with government and industry stakeholder to implement the NTSB safety recommendations, including the ones issued by the Board today.

“We will continue to work diligently to advance aviation safety and honor the legacies of those lost by ensuring such tragedies are never repeated.

“We continue to strongly support the Federal Aviation Administration's decisive action to restrict helicopter operations near Washington National Airport and support the NTSB’s safety recommendation to continue this restriction.

“While our pilots are the most highly trained in the world and fully capable of navigating complex airspace, removing this risk factor represents a significant safety improvement.”

The ALPA was founded in 1931 and is the largest airline pilot union in the world representing more than 79,000 pilots flying for 42 airlines in Canada and the United States.

FMI:  www.alpa.org/