Open letter to the Secretary of the U.S. Army
Signed by 168 family members of Flight 5342 victims
Sent via overnight UPS and email on July 9, 2025.
July 9, 2025
The Honorable Daniel P. Driscoll
Secretary of the Army
101 Army Pentagon
Washington, DC 20310‑0101
Dear Secretary Driscoll,
We are a group of family members who lost loved ones when an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with American Eagle Flight 5342 near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on January 29, 2025.
As you can imagine, losing people we love dearly in such a sudden and traumatic manner has been incredibly difficult. Our lives—and the lives of so many others who were touched by our family members—will never be the same.
While we recognize the importance of giving the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) time to complete its full investigation, it is clear that systemic failures within both the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Army contributed to the collision. As painful as it is to know this tragedy could have been prevented, our focus is on understanding exactly what happened and ensuring that the Army implements common-sense safety improvements in coordination with the NTSB’s efforts.
The Department of Transportation, the Federal Aviation Administration, and American Airlines have all engaged with us compassionately and constructively on these issues. In turn, we have given them thoughtful feedback and advocated for substantial improvements that would prevent other families from suffering the way we are now. We believe we have made meaningful progress toward making our skies safer for all through these collaborative efforts.
While this incident did not occur under your watch, your leadership in this moment could help restore public confidence in military aviation safety protocols and set a precedent for how the armed forces respond to U.S. civilian casualties.
Therefore, we were deeply dismayed by your recent testimony at the June 5th hearing before the Senate Committee on Armed Services, where you reaffirmed the Army’s troubling stance of refusing to engage with the families of Flight 5342.
The Army’s approach contrasts sharply with the more collaborative stance taken by other organizations involved in this incident and raises serious questions about its commitment to transparency and accountability. Our concerns were compounded when the Army withheld its unclassified ADS-B policy memo from Congress, only releasing it under threat of subpoena. Those concerns were deepened by premature and unsubstantiated assertions made by Army leadership to The New York Times in April, claiming that ADS-B “played no role in this accident.”
The Army later sought to downplay its role in the ensuing May 1 near-misses through a public statement—released on the Friday before Memorial Day—that sidestepped the most troubling facts. It then selectively disclosed investigative details about those near-misses to the Associated Press without first disclosing them to the NTSB, as required.
Finally—on the Friday before the Independence Day recess—the Army inspector general informed Congress that it was declining to open an independent audit into the crash, despite formal bipartisan requests signed by 28 Senators, including the leaders of the Senate’s main oversight committee.
These actions demonstrate the Army’s willingness to circumvent official processes and resist oversight when deflecting scrutiny. At the same time, the Army has cited process while persistently refusing to accept responsibility or even acknowledge the families throughout these ordeals.
In addition to being extremely disheartening to those of us directly affected by the January 29 collision, this troubling pattern also suggests a lack of operational readiness and ongoing risks to our service members.
Given that this is the deadliest incident involving U.S. civilian casualties caused by the military in modern history, the Army has a heightened responsibility to ensure full public transparency and urgent implementation of meaningful safety reforms. The scale of this tragedy demands complete cooperation and accountability from all parties involved—including the U.S. Army.
We respectfully request that you take the following immediate actions:
1. Appoint a dedicated family liaison to serve as a direct point of contact between the Army and the Families of Flight 5342
2. Commit to transparency by providing regular updates to families about the Army's internal investigation findings and the concrete steps taken to prevent similar incidents
3. Schedule a meeting with family representatives within the next 30 days to discuss these requests and establish an ongoing dialogue
4. Publicly support the inspector general audits requested by Congress—as Secretary Duffy has done for the FAA—into the Army’s role in the accident and encourage public release of findings with only legally required redactions and brief explanations for withheld material
We understand that legal and procedural considerations may complicate engagement with families. However, the unprecedented nature of this tragedy calls for a higher standard of openness, compassion, and leadership worthy of public trust. Other agencies have found ways to engage constructively with us while maintaining the integrity of their investigations. We believe the Army can, and should, do the same.
In short, we are seeking collaboration to prevent future tragedies. While we have suffered an unimaginable loss, our focus is on protecting more families from experiencing the same pain. We believe this is a forward-thinking goal that all parties involved share, and we urge you to join us in taking meaningful steps toward lasting change.
We look forward to your prompt response and to working together on meaningful change that both honors those we lost and upholds the Army’s solemn responsibility to the U.S. public.
Respectfully,
Signed by 168 family members (View the PDF version for a full list.)
