A newly aired clip has brought renewed attention to last year’s catastrophic mid-air collision in Washington, DC. The brief video, broadcast by CBS News’ “60 Minutes,” shows an American Airlines aircraft climbing moments before it struck a US Army Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

The crash occurred on January 29, 2025, as the commercial flight was nearing landing. All 64 passengers and crew members aboard the jet were killed, along with three Army personnel in the helicopter, making it one of the deadliest aviation tragedies in the United States in over 20 years.

Earlier this year, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) concluded that the disaster stemmed largely from regulatory lapses. Investigators said the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) permitted helicopter operations in close proximity to the airport without adequate separation measures and failed to act on prior safety recommendations to reroute such traffic.

NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy stated that repeated safety concerns raised by air traffic control staff went unaddressed, describing the accident as entirely preventable. The probe also pointed to shortcomings within the Army’s safety oversight and cited the helicopter pilot’s failure to effectively avoid the incoming aircraft.

The findings have intensified calls for reforms in airspace management and inter-agency coordination to prevent similar tragedies.