STORY UPDATED: check for updates below.
Was the military helicopter involved in the plane crash at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on January 29, 2025, "flying dark," as it was supposed to be broadcasting with an ADS-B transponder signal? No, that's not true: While the Black Hawk helicopter was not using ADS-B, it was still operating properly within the airspace, according to flight data and to an aviation expert. That expert told Lead Stories that the helicopter was equipped with a Mode S transponder, which made it visible to air traffic controllers.
The claim appeared in a post and video (archived here) published on X on January 29, 2025. The video's caption said:
🚨 #BREAKING: The military Blackhawk that crashed into an American Airlines flight in Washington, DC was reportedly 'FLYING DARK,' per ADSBexchange
The chopper was NOT broadcasting an ADSB signal at the time.
It has just been found submerged in the Potomac River, and first responders say there are likely 'no viable victims inside.'
This is what the post looked like on X at the time of writing:
(Source: X screenshot taken on Thu Jan 30 16:14:24 2025 UTC)
This post provided no evidence to support the assertion that the military helicopter involved in the plane crash at Reagan National Airport was supposed to be broadcasting with ADS-B.
Flightradar24
Ian Petchenik, director of communications at Flightradar24, a global flight-tracking service, said in a January 30, 2025, email to Lead Stories that the social media post was wrong to suggest the Black Hawk couldn't be seen by air traffic controllers (ATC) at Reagan National. He said:
The aircraft was not 'flying dark', it was broadcasting via a Mode S transponder. This allows the aircraft to be visible on ATC screens.
Mode S is a system that helps ATC track and communicate with aircraft. Each aircraft with a Mode S transponder gets a unique code, allowing controllers to send signals to a specific plane and receive clear responses, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) (archived here).
In another email, Petchenik added:
Military aircraft aren't necessarily required to use ADS-B, depending on aircraft type and mission profile, among other criteria. The Mode S transponder allows air traffic controllers to see where the aircraft are located.
ADS-B Exchange
Proof that the military helicopter could be seen by ATC appears on the ADS-B Exchange website, which collects radio signals transmitted from aircraft and plots the information online. The map (archived here) below shows the flights of two aircraft and where they collided a short distance from the airport runway:
(Source: ADS-B Exchange screenshot taken on Thu Jan 30 17:07:50 2025 UTC)
On the map, the helicopter flew from the north and the passenger plane from the south. The data to track the helicopter's flight proves the plane wasn't "flying dark."
Flight background
American Airlines reported (archived here) that a Bombardier CRJ700 plane (Flight 5342), flying for their regional airline American Eagle, was involved in an accident over the Potomac River on January 29, 2025, around 9 p.m. EST while approaching Reagan National Airport. According to the FAA (archived here), the plane collided with an Army UH-60 helicopter carrying three crewmembers. There were no survivors.
Read more
More Lead Stories fact checks on claims concerning the Flight 5342 plane and helicopter crash can be found here.
Updates:
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2025-01-30T18:38:10Z 2025-01-30T18:38:10Z Revises headline for clarity.
