The recent crash between a U.S. Army helicopter and an American Airlines commuter jet over the Potomac River was a tragedy. It’s one most likely caused by human error, not the result of the Army’s experimentation with artificial intelligence.
In the days since the crash, through written statements and press briefings, government and military officials have confirmed that the UH-60M Black Hawk flying that night was not equipped with any experimental AI systems.
The chief of staff at the Headquarters Department of the Army Aviation Directorate told DefenseScoop that any testing with AI agents piloting aircraft is always conducted far from populated areas, just in case an incident occurs.
The Army is working with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, and Sikorsky to install an autonomous system known as MATRIX into Black Hawks. However, the contract was just signed in October 2024, with work set to begin sometime in 2025.
Sikorsky, a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin, began flying helicopters with MATRIX and no pilots in 2022. However, that testing is taking place in locations such as the proving grounds in Yuma, Arizona. That’s almost 2,500 miles from Washington.
MATRIX is one of several AI agents DARPA is developing to reduce pilots’ cognitive loads and help them concentrate on the mission at hand.
It’s the kind of technology that may one day help prevent crashes like the one over the Potomac. But the technology isn’t there yet, and it certainly isn’t so widely deployed that a helicopter on a routine training mission would have it on board.
The investigation into the Potomac crash is still ongoing. Still, reports indicate the helicopter was flying higher than it should have. It was about half a mile off its approved route.
The New York Times reported that the tower at Reagan National Airport may have been short one air traffic controller. Instead of having one person direct planes and another direct helicopters, only one person handled both.
Since the investigation is still in its early stages, details may change. The National Transportation Safety Board said its initial report would take at least 30 days. However, it will likely be a year or more before the public gets a definitive answer about what happened that night.