First lawsuit filed after January's DCA passenger jet and helicopter midair collision

"A total of 67 people, including the crew of the helicopter and the regional jet, died in the collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, making it the deadliest air traffic disaster in the U.S. in decades. On Jan. 29., the jet had been cleared to land when the Army helicopter, which was on a nighttime training mission, struck the plane at an altitude of 278 feet. Both aircraft plunged into the Potomac River."

"Federal investigators at the National Transportation Safety Board held a three-day hearing on the collision in August. So far, that investigation has revealed problems with the altimeters in the Army helicopter, which gave incorrect altitude readouts to the Black Hawk pilots. There were also serious concerns about numerous near misses at the airport that predated the crash. Lawyers for the plaintiffs argue that American Airlines should be held liable, as well."

Sixty-seven people, including crews, died when an American Airlines regional jet collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in January. The jet had been cleared to land when the helicopter, on a nighttime training mission, struck the plane at about 278 feet; both aircraft plunged into the Potomac River. Federal investigators held a three-day NTSB hearing and found problems with the helicopter's altimeters that provided incorrect altitude readouts, and identified a history of near misses at the airport. The Crafton family filed a federal wrongful-death lawsuit naming American Airlines, PSA Airlines, and the federal government, alleging a preventable crash and airline liability.

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