The recent mid-air collision incident has ignited debate over who shoulders the blame—Air Traffic Control (ATC) or the pilots involved. After reviewing the ATC transcripts and video footage, it’s clear: this was a case of pilot error. Specifically, the Army Black Hawk crew failed to maintain proper distance while requesting visual separation as the passenger plane was on short final, ultimately leading to the tragic event.

ATC exists to assist, but they do not fly the aircraft. The final responsibility for flight safety always lies with the Pilot in Command (PIC).

This principle has been underscored time and again in aviation history. Take, for instance, the Tenerife Airport disaster in 1977, when a KLM 747 initiated takeoff without clearance, colliding with a Pan Am jet, killing 583 people. Or the 2006 mid-air collision over Brazil, where two aircraft were assigned the same altitude, yet pilot awareness—or lack thereof—played a fatal role.

In this most recent event, the Black Hawk crew, most likely misjudged their position relative to the fixed-wing commercial aircraft on short final or outright had another aircraft in sight that resulted in the surprise collision.

The tragic reality is that requesting visual separation means you are responsible for it. The PIC must constantly assess risk, maintain situational awareness, and, if in doubt, go around rather than press on with uncertainty.

Unfortunately during short final the pilots of American Airlines (AA) flight 5342 would have been focused on landing straight ahead and typically this phase of flight is the safest as opposed to a departure emergency (the worse because a plane is slow, heavy with fuel, and low altitude). It appears from the video that the AA flight was hit on the right rear side and had no chance to avoid the collision.

It’s safe to say the fault was clearly with the helicopter crew who were flying across a busy approach end of Reagan airport.

Before I was a SEAL I was a SAR helicopter crewman in SH and HH60 aircraft similar to this, and now I’m a private pilot with over 1100 flight hours. Having survived a night time water crash in the Persian Gulf I’m very familiar with this type of situation and it’s extremely unfortunate for the victims and their families. Hopefully the FAA puts more safety measures in place to avoid a future incident.

This case is also a harsh reminder that pilots cannot solely rely on ATC to keep them safe. I’ve literally had controllers try to vector me into terrain and respectfully declined as the pilot in command.

Controllers provide incredible help and guidance, but the decision-making and ultimate accountability rest in the cockpit. When lives are on the line, pilots must own the sky they fly in—because once airborne, no one is coming to save you from bad judgment but yourself.