2025 Potomac River mid-air collision

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/2025-potomac-river-mid-air-collision

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How high is the 2025 Potomac River mid-air collision?Approximately 300 feet (100 m)
2. What is the date of collision?January 29, 2025
3. What is the aircraft involved?Bombardier CRJ700 (American Airlines Flight 5342) and Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter
4. What happened on the night of January 29, 2025, over the Potomac River?A commercial plane (American Airlines Flight 5342) and a military helicopter (Sikorsky UH‑60 Black Hawk) crashed into each other near Washington, D.C., killing all 67 people on board.
5. Why did the plane and helicopter collide?They were flying close together at a low altitude of about 300 feet, and the helicopter’s night vision and possible microphone problems may have caused a mix‑up in seeing and hearing the plane.

Bombardier CRJ700: A twin-engine, swept-wing, short-to-medium-range regional jet airliner.
Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk: A versatile four-bladed, twin-engine, military helicopter developed by Sikorsky Aircraft.
Night vision goggles (NVGs): Electro-optical imaging devices that amplify ambient light, enabling vision in low-light conditions.
Air traffic control (ATC): A system of ground-based controllers and communication networks that manage and direct aircraft movements.