Night vision goggles may have hampered helicopter pilots before crash with jet, experts tell NTSB

The pilots of a U.S. Army helicopter that collided with a passenger jet over Washington in January would've had difficulty spotting the plane while wearing night vision goggles, experts told the National Transportation Safety Board on Friday.

The Army goggles would have made it difficult to see the plane's colored lights, which might have helped the Black Hawk determine the plane's direction. The goggles also limited the pilots' peripheral vision as they flew near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

The challenges posed by night-vision goggles were among the topics discussed at the NTSB’s third and final day of public testimony over the fatal midair crash, which killed all 67 people aboard both aircrafts.

Experts said another challenge that evening was distinguishing the plane from lights on the ground while the two aircraft were on a collision course. Plus, the helicopter pilots may not have known where to look for a plane that was landing on a secondary runway that most planes didn't use.

“Knowing where to look. That’s key,” said Stephen Casner, an expert in human factors who used to work at NASA.

Two previous days of testimony underscored a number of factors that likely contributed to the collision, sparking Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy to urge the Federal Aviation Administration to “do better" as she pointed to warnings the agency had ignored years earlier.

Some of the major issues that have emerged so far include the Black Hawk helicopter flying above prescribed levels near the airport as well as the warnings to FAA officials for years about the hazards related to the heavy chopper traffic there.

It’s too early for the board to identify what exactly caused the crash. A final report from the board won’t come until next year.

But it became clear this week how small a margin of error there was for helicopters flying the route the Black Hawk took the night of the nation’s deadliest plane crash since November 2001.

Army Colonel Andrew DeForest told the NTSB that “flights along the D.C. helicopter routes were considered relatively safe,” but some pilots in the 12th Battalion that flew alongside the crew that crashed told investigators they regularly talked about the possibility of a collision because of the congested and complicated airspace.

The American Airlines jet arrived from Wichita, Kansas, carrying, among others, a group of elite young figure skaters, their parents and coaches, and four union steamfitters from the Washington area.

The collision was the first in a string of crashes and near misses this year that have alarmed officials and the traveling public, despite statistics that still show flying remains the safest form of transportation.

NTSB members scolded FAA officials during Friday's hearing, accusing them of saying the right things about safety in public while failing to cooperate in private. They said the FAA has repeatedly refused to provide information requested by investigators.

Board member Todd Inman said there was “significant frustration between what’s actually occurring” and "what’s being said for public consumption.”

Frank McIntosh, the head of the FAA’s air traffic control organization, said he would start working immediately to make sure the agency complies with the investigation. McIntosh also acknowledged problems with the culture in the tower at Reagan National, despite past efforts to improve compliance with safety standards.

“I think there were some things that we missed, to be quite honest with you, not intentionally, but I was talking about how certain facilities can drift,” McIntosh said.

Homendy told McIntosh she believes agency leaders are sincere about wanting to improve safety, but the solution must be more than just sending a top-down message of safety and also actually listening to controllers in the field.

Tim Lilley, an aviation expert whose son Sam was a pilot on the passenger jet, said he’s optimistic the tragic accident will ultimately lead to some positive changes.

“But we’ve got a long way to go,” he told The Associated Press.

Lilley said he was particularly struck by the FAA’s lack of alcohol testing for air traffic controllers after the crash.

“And they made a bunch of excuses why they didn’t do it,” Lilley said. "None of them were valid. It goes back to a whole system that was complacent and was normalizing deviation.”

Homendy said during Thursday's hearings that alcohol testing is most effective within two hours of a crash and can be administered within eight hours.

Nick Fuller, the FAA’s acting deputy chief operating officer of operations, testified that the controllers weren’t tested because the agency did not immediately believe the crash was fatal. The FAA then decided to forgo it because the optimum two-hour window had passed.

FAA officials testified this week that an air traffic controller should have warned the passenger jet of the Army helicopter’s presence.

The controller had asked the Black Hawk pilots to confirm they had the airplane in sight because an alarm sounded in the tower about their proximity. The controller could see from a window that the helicopter was too close, but the controller did not alert the jetliner.

In a transcript released this week, the unidentified controller said in a post-crash interview they weren't sure that would have changed the outcome.

Additionally, the pilots of the helicopter did not fully hear the controller’s instructions before the collision. When the controller told the helicopter's pilots to “pass behind” the jet, the crew didn’t hear it because the Black Hawk’s microphone key was pressed at that moment.

Jeff Guzzetti, a former NTSB and FAA crash investigator, told the AP that a combination of factors produced this tragedy, like “holes that line up in the Swiss cheese.”

Any number of things, had they been different, could have prevented the collision, he said. They include the Black Hawks having more accurate altimeters, as well as a key piece of locating equipment, known as ADS-B Out, turned on or working. In turn, air traffic control could have seen the problem earlier.

Just a few feet could have made a difference, Guzzetti said.

“It just goes to show you that an accident isn’t caused by one single thing,” Guzzetti said. “It isn’t caused by ‘pilot error’ or ’controller staffing.' This accident was caused by layer after layer of deficiencies that piled up at just the right moment.”

Mary Schiavo, a former U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General, told the AP that both the Army and the FAA appear to share significant blame.

The Black Hawks' altimeters could be off by as much as 100 feet and were still considered acceptable, she said. The crew was flying an outdated model that struggled to maintain altitude, while the helicopter pilots’ flying was “loose” and under “loose” supervision.

“It’s on the individuals, God rest their souls, but it’s also on the military,” Schiavo said. “I mean, they just seem to have no urgency of anything.”

Schiavo was also struck by the air traffic controllers’ lack of maps of the military helicopter routes on their display screens, which forced them to look out the window.

“And so everything about the military helicopter operation was not up to the standards of commercial aviation ... it’s a shocking lack of attention to precision all the way around,” she said.

Schiavo also faulted the FAA for not coming off as terribly responsive to problems.

“I called the Federal Aviation Administration, the Tombstone Agency, because they would only make change after people die,” Schiavo said. “And sadly, 30 years later, that seems to still be the case.”

A previous version of this story misspelled the name of Rick Dressler, an official with medevac operator Metro Aviation, in one instance.

Associated Press writers David Klepper, Mike Catalini, Leah Askarinam, Ben Finley and Rio Yamat contributed.

FILE - A crane offloads a piece of wreckage from a salvage vessel onto a flatbed truck, near the wreckage site in the Potomac River of a mid-air collision between an American Airlines jet and a Black Hawk helicopter, at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Feb. 5, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File)

FILE - A piece of wreckage is lifted from the water onto a salvage vessel near the site in the Potomac River of a mid-air collision between an American Airlines jet and a Black Hawk helicopter, at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Feb. 4, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, file)

National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy arrives for the NTSB fact-finding hearing on the DCA midair collision accident, at the National Transportation and Safety Board boardroom, Wednesday, July 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy presides over the NTSB fact-finding hearing on the DCA midair collision accident, at the National Transportation and Safety Board boardroom, Wednesday, July 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

Lance Gant, right, of the Federal Aviation Administration, listens as Dan Cooper, left, of Sikorsky Aircraft, responds to questions during the NTSB fact-finding hearing on the DCA midair collision accident, at the National Transportation and Safety Board boardroom, Wednesday, July 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

Gwen Duggins, second from right, whose daughter Kiah Duggins perished on American Airlines flight 5342 in a collision with a U.S. military helicopter, wipes the tears from her eyes while listening to the audio of the flight radio transmissions during the NTSB fact-finding hearing on the DCA midair collision accident, at the National Transportation and Safety Board boardroom, Wednesday, July 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy presides over the NTSB fact-finding hearing on the DCA midair collision accident, at the National Transportation and Safety Board boardroom, Wednesday, July 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

Christina Stovall, whose son, Mikey Stovall, died on American Airlines flight 5342 in a collision with a U.S. military helicopter, weeps as she leaves the room during the NTSB fact-finding hearing on the DCA midair collision accident, at the National Transportation and Safety Board boardroom, Wednesday, July 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy, on monitor left, swears-in the witnesses from left: Dan Cooper, Sikorsky Aircraft, Lance Gant, Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. Army CW4 Kylene Lewis, Steve Braddom, U.S. Army, and Scott Rosengren, U.S. Army, during the NTSB fact-finding hearing on the DCA midair collision accident, at the National Transportation and Safety Board boardroom, Wednesday, July 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans rejected a pair of Democratic-backed resolutions Wednesday that would have put a check on President Donald Trump’s power to use military force against drug cartels and the nation of Venezuela.

Democrats forced the votes using war powers resolutions as Trump has stepped up his threats against the South American nation and Congress has questioned how the U.S. military is conducting a campaign that has destroyed 26 vessels allegedly carrying drugs and killed at least 99 people, including an attack Wednesday. The legislation would have forced the Trump administration to seek authorization from Congress before continuing attacks against cartels that it deems to be terrorist organizations in the Western Hemisphere or launching an attack on Venezuela itself.

Rep. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, argued that Trump's aggressions in the region were really because “the president is coveting Venezuelan oil.”

They were the first votes in the House on Trump's military campaign in Central and South America. A majority of Republicans in the Senate had previously voted against similar resolutions, and Trump would almost certainly veto them if they were to pass Congress. But Democrats forced the votes as a way to bring up a debate about the military campaign and force Republicans to go on the record about supporting it.

Republican leaders have increasingly expressed support for Trump's campaign, even as it potentially escalates into a direct confrontation with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said earlier Wednesday that he didn't know whether the Trump administration had “publicly stated” that they wanted regime change, but “I would certainly not have a problem if that was their position.”

“Maduro is a cancer on that continent,” added Thune, R-S.D.

Still, the Trump administration has not sought congressional authorization for its recent actions in the Caribbean, arguing instead that it can destroy drug-carrying boats just as it would handle terrorist threats against the U.S. That rationale, however, has led to deep scrutiny of the strikes, especially after it was revealed that a Sept. 2 operation killed two people who had survived an initial attack.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other top national security officials briefed members of Congress on Tuesday. They defended the campaign as a successful counter-narcotic effort that has cut into the drug supply entering the U.S., but did not clue in Congress about its ultimate goals when it comes to Venezuela.

The Navy admiral who ordered the strike on Sept. 2 that killed two survivors was also back on Capitol Hill Wednesday for classified briefings with the House and Senate Armed Services Committees.

After viewing the video of the strike in question, lawmakers emerged with contrasting responses. Republicans mostly backed the decision-making that led up to the strike, saying it was based on exact intelligence and careful decision-making. Democrats said the sight of a missile strike on two people clinging to the wreckage of a boat was shocking and should be made public.

“I think there are serious questions about criminal culpability here, and there is certainly a need for more intensive federal investigation,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat.

Rep. Seth Moulton, a Massachusetts Democrat and former Marine who served in Iraq, said Wednesday’s briefing confirmed his concerns and led him to determine that the two survivors who were killed were “helpless” and that there was “significant evidence that they were not continuing their mission.”

GOP lawmakers, however, appeared ready to move on from investigations that had been opened under the Republican-controlled committees. Rep. Mike Rogers, the GOP chair of the House Armed Services Committee, said his panel’s investigation into the Sept. 2 boat strike is over.

He also said the video of the follow-up strike, which killed two survivors of the initial attack, should not be released to the public unless it’s “declassified to the level that we don’t compromise tactics, techniques and procedures.”

Meanwhile, Sen. Roger Wicker, the Republican who leads the Senate Armed Services Committee, told reporters, “I think we know all we’re going to know as a matter of oversight.”

The resolutions Wednesday were brought under the War Powers Act of 1973, which was intended to reassert congressional power over the declaration of war. And the debate in Congress showed there is still some hesitancy among Republicans to fully endorse an ongoing conflict.

Rep. Don Bacon, a Nebraska Republican who retired from the Air Force with a rank of brigadier general, said that while he believes the boat strike was lawful, the Trump administration should seek authorizations from Congress.

“I think the mission was right," he said after the briefing with Bradley. "But continued hostility does require congressional approval.”

Democrats also repeatedly challenged whether Trump's goals are in fact about halting drug trafficking and preventing overdose deaths. They stridently criticized the president for pardoning former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández after he was sentenced last year to 45 years in prison for his role in a drug trafficking operation that moved hundreds of tons of cocaine to the U.S.

A few GOP lawmakers have joined them, noting the escalation of hostilities against Venezuela has failed to keep Trump's campaign promises to disengage from military commitments overseas.

“If it were about drugs, we'd bomb Mexico or China or Colombia,” said Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, as he pointed out that those countries were actually where illegal drugs originate.

“This is about oil and regime change,” he added.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth walks to the auditorium to brief members of Congress on military strikes near Venezuela at the Capitol, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)