NTSB hearing probes causes of deadly D.C. midair collision: "67 people are dead. How do you explain that?"

The first day of the three-day investigative hearings on the deadly midair collision over Washington, D.C., in January ended with more questions about what caused the crash between a passenger plane and an Army helicopter. 

The American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas, collided with a Black Hawk helicopter while coming in for a landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport on Jan. 29, killing all 67 people aboard both aircraft. The National Transportation Safety Board on Wednesday questioned witnesses from the Federal Aviation Administration and the Army about how the actions of air traffic controllers and Army officials may have contributed to the nation's deadliest plane crash since November 2001.

"This hearing is a critical part of our ongoing investigation," NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said in her opening remarks in the nation's capital. Addressing family members of some of the crash victims attending the hearing, she said, "Please know that we are working diligently to make sure we know what occurred, how it occurred, and to prevent it from ever happening again."

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