An Army review has identified two failed radio transmissions as the most significant contributing factor in last year's fatal midair collision near Washington, D.
C.
The crash involved American Airlines Flight 5342 and a Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport, killing 67 people, according to the report cited by the Associated Press.
The Army completed its review in May but did not publicly release it.
The military shared the report with many victims' families after months of pressure, and the Associated Press obtained a copy Thursday.
The Army did not immediately comment.
Findings and Military Shortcomings
The Army report largely supports findings from the National Transportation Safety Board while also examining military shortcomings.
It said the helicopter crew could not identify Flight 5342 as it circled toward an alternate runway because of the two broken radio transmissions.
The lieutenant general who authored the report said the failures extended across the system managing the conflict between the aircraft.
"Breakdowns across all layers of conflict management caused this accident" but "the most salient contributing factor was the two broken radio transmissions," the lieutenant general said.
The report also noted that the military pilots were using night-vision goggles, which restricted their field of vision and made the airplane harder to see against Washington's city lights.
The Army recommended examining helicopter operating practices in every major city where its aircraft fly.
An Army official said reviews are already underway in Los Angeles and the Seattle-Tacoma region, speaking anonymously because the official was not authorized to comment publicly.
The Families of Flight 5342 said the Army findings strengthen their demand for aviation reforms and equipment that would help pilots detect nearby aircraft.
"It's a simple concept anyone can understand: aircraft should be able to see each other in the sky.
The technology is proven.
All that's required is the political will to do the right thing," the group said in a statement Thursday.
The family group said both federal investigations support adding collision-avoidance technology to aircraft.
Its members said they had waited for the NTSB and Army reviews to finish before pressing Congress to act.
"We have waited long enough. We waited for the NTSB.
We waited for the Army.
Both investigations are complete, and both make clear that collision avoidance technology must be part of the solution.
There is nothing left for Congress to wait for," the Families of Flight 5342 said.
The House and Senate have each passed different aviation safety bills, according to the report, but lawmakers are still negotiating a compromise measure for votes in both chambers.
