Black Hawk Cockpit Recordings Show Communication Issues Before Crash

Transcripts from the cockpit voice recorder of a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter reveal that pilots experienced confusion and frustration in the minutes leading up to a fatal crash on January 29th. The helicopter collided with a commercial passenger jet over the Potomac River. According to the transcript released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), communications with the air traffic controller at Ronald Reagan National Airport were problematic throughout the final stages of the flight. Pilots questioned the clarity of instructions, with one pilot asking if the controller's voice was "muffled" and another confirming they "definitely didn’t catch what he said." This suggests a breakdown in communication may have contributed to the accident.