It was the deadliest American air accident since 2001. Just before 9:00 p.m. on January 29, 2025, an Army helicopter on a routine training mission collided with an American Airlines passenger jet about to land at Reagan National Airport. Both aircraft went down into the Potomac River. The three soldiers aboard the helicopter and the 64 passengers and crew aboard the airplane all perished.

How could such an accident have happened? The helicopter was from Fort Belvoir in Virginia, just a short distance from National Airport. The airport itself is so close to Washington, D.C. that it has the most monitored airspace in the country. Planes fly over the Potomac River to land at Reagan National Airport all the time. The weather was not severe, and the air was clear.

Several factors may have contributed to the midair collision. Reagan National Airport is one of the busiest, most crowded airports in the country. Its proximity to Washington, D.C. helps explain that. According to Google Maps, Reagan National Airport is only 14 minutes from the U.S. Capitol Building. Most lawmakers would prefer to use Reagan National Airport rather than Dulles Airport (which is about a 50-minute drive, depending on traffic) and Thurgood Marshall Baltimore Washington Airport (which is about an hour drive, depending on traffic). Some lawmakers even want to add flights to Reagan National Airport.

According to an article in The Washington Post (January 31, 2025) about 100 military helicopter flights occur daily around Reagan National Airport. That is likely to change. Also, according to the Post, on the night of the accident two air traffic controllers at Reagan National Airport were doing double duty, handling the responsibilities covered by four air traffic controllers under normal circumstances.

Although investigations are still ongoing, it is likely that human error played a part in the crash. Human error is a part of the human condition. None of us is perfect. We all make mistakes. Sometimes our mistakes cause great harm.

My latest book in the Spelunking Scripture Bible studies series is titled, The Passion of Christ in the Synoptic Gospels. The book follows the stories of Jesus’s suffering and death as recorded in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. An Addendum in the book also follows the passion story in the Gospel of John. As I note in the Introduction to the book, “the passion of Christ is the crux of the Christian faith.”

The New Testament sees a purpose in the death of Jesus. The death of Jesus on the cross is God’s answer to human error. The cross of Christ doesn’t eliminate human imperfections, but it redeems them. Tragedies still occur, but they are not the final word.

67 lives were lost when the helicopter and passenger jet collided over the Potomac River. The families and friends of those who were killed have suffered a terrible loss. We pray for their consolation and healing. We seek ways to reduce human error and to minimize the likelihood of such an accident happening again.

But in the aftermath of human error our ultimate hope is in God.