Yes, the U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter was conducting a drill at the time of the collision. Specifically, it was engaged in a Continuity of Government (COG) exercise, which simulates military operations to evacuate top government officials to secure locations during or after an armed attack on Washington, D.C.5.
Citations:
- https://www.npr.org/2025/02/14/nx-s1-5297147/black-hawk-helicopter-american-airlines-collision-ntsb
- https://abcnews.go.com/US/dc-plane-crash-new-details-emerge-ntsb-investigation/story?id=118820142
- https://defensescoop.com/2025/01/30/army-helicopter-black-hawk-fatal-crash-potomac-not-using-ai-sources-say/
- https://www.delawarepublic.org/npr-headlines/2025-02-14/altimeter-in-black-hawk-helicopter-may-have-malfunctioned-before-dca-mid-air-collision
- https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2025/01/31/zrou-j31.html
- https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/06/us/dc-midair-collision-investigation-thursday-hnk/index.html
- https://www.yahoo.com/news/american-airlines-collision-army-helicopter-201957605.html
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/01/30/dc-plane-crash-updates-helicopter-potomac-reagan-airport/
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