Federal investigators revealed Wednesday that the Black Hawk helicopter involved in the deadly DCA crash may have misreported its altitude by more than 100 feet, a flaw the Army had long known about but never formally documented.

The testimony, delivered during the first day of a multiday National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) hearing, raised fresh concerns about whether Army pilots were given the information needed to safely navigate controlled airspace. The January collision between a UH-60L Black Hawk and an American Airlines jet killed 67 people, making it one of the deadliest air disasters in recent U.S. history.

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The hearing also highlighted broader systemic failures in how the Army manages and communicates known limitations of aging aircraft systems. Officials from Sikorsky, the helicopter’s manufacturer, and the Army testified that the Black Hawk’s barometric altimeter can be off by as much as 130 feet, especially at low altitudes and high speeds, or when carrying external fuel tanks.

Although Sikorsky engineers had recommended including these known error ranges in pilot manuals, the Army left them out. Officials now say they can’t find any record explaining why.

“We’ve looked for a record of the discussion… and we’ve not found a record about whether to include or exclude that information,” said Steve Braddom, an Army aviation official. “That particular error has no influence on performance, but crews should be informed.” 

The problem is not theoretical. NTSB investigators ran follow-up flight tests on three helicopters from the same unit as the crash aircraft. While all passed ground checks, each misreported its altitude in the air by 80 to 130 feet, confirming the issue was real and repeatable.

Even so, Army officials testified Wednesday that pilots likely won’t be formally alerted to the discrepancy until mid-September, a delay that drew sharp criticism from NTSB board member J. Todd Inman.

“You’re telling me it’s going to be two months before you tell them that there’s a discrepancy in their altitude? Could you hurry it up?” Inman said. “I hope every Army aviator is not having to watch the NTSB.gov livestream to figure that out.”

The discrepancy stems from the aircraft’s outdated sensors and how they calculate altitude, a system especially prone to error when external tanks are attached. Army officials said they are still debating how to notify crews, whether through an immediate safety bulletin, a manual update, or both.

NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy also pressed the Army on why it hadn’t coordinated with the FAA or evaluated whether other airports could face similar risks. Army officials acknowledged they had not. 

The hearing also raised deeper questions about the military’s continued reliance on aging aircraft. The UH-60L “Lima” model Black Hawk was introduced in the late 1980s and still uses analog systems known to produce inaccurate readings. 

Rather than committing to immediate technical fixes, Army aviation engineer Scott Rosengren said the Army unit overseeing helicopters would instead pursue an airworthiness recommendation and convene a safety working group.

That response drew sharp criticism from Inman. “So you don’t even know if you’re going to make any changes based upon the research we’ve already done?” he asked. “How much tolerance for [discrepancies] should there be when civilian lives are at risk?”

Rosengren acknowledged he would prefer to replace the fleet. “If I were king for a day, I would replace them,” he said. Still, he maintained that the helicopters meet federal requirements. “The FAA provides the requirements for flying in the national airspace,” he said. “We do meet the specifications.” 

Lance T. Gant, the FAA’s chief scientist and technical adviser for rotorcraft, was asked whether the growing complexity of U.S. airspace should prompt requirements for newer technologies. “I would say it could factor into that,” he said. 

Nearly half of the helicopters flying along the route where an Army Black Hawk collided with an airliner were above the 200-foot altitude limit, according to a Federal Aviation Administration analysis released by safety investigators. The FAA examined 523 flights between Jan. 1, 2024, and Jan. 30, 2025, along Helicopter Route 4, a tightly controlled corridor that follows the Potomac River near National Airport and has emerged as a central focus of the investigation. Despite the restricted airspace, the analysis found numerous helicopters exceeded the ceiling by at least 100 feet, with some flying even higher.

Investigators also discovered that the crash aircraft failed to record key cockpit audio, including radio and intercom communications, despite Army policy requiring it. Officials said they don’t know why the data is missing and are still investigating. A team dispatched to another Army unit confirmed the issue wasn’t isolated, but no corrective actions have yet been implemented.

In response to the Jan. 29 collision, the Army is implementing several operational changes, according to documents released Wednesday by the NTSB. Flight crews are now required to verify that the aircraft’s ADS-B system, which provides real-time location data, is functioning before every mission. 

Any waiver to fly with ADS-B turned off must be approved by a higher-level authority. To improve visibility, helicopter crews must now fly with cockpit windows open during takeoff and landing. Additionally, the 12th Aviation Battalion, the unit involved in the crash, is required to complete its planned modernization by the fourth quarter of 2026.

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The hearing continues Thursday, with testimony expected to focus on Army safety oversight, air traffic control coordination, and gaps in federal airspace regulation. Additional military and FAA officials are scheduled to appear over the next two days.