Mission of the Black Hawk Helicopter Revealed

New details have emerged about the U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter that collided with an American Airlines regional jet over Washington, D.C., late Wednesday night, sending both aircraft plunging into the Potomac River. According to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the military helicopter was conducting a continuity of government mission—an exercise tied to national security and emergency preparedness.

American Airlines flight 5342, which had 64 people on board and departed from Wichita, Kansas, went down near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport after striking the UH-60 Black Hawk. The three soldiers aboard the helicopter, a captain, a staff sergeant, and a chief warrant officer, were also killed, according to the Pentagon.

Hegseth described the Black Hawk’s flight as part of a “routine annual retraining of night flights on a standard corridor,” raising immediate questions about why a highly sensitive military mission was operating in such close proximity to civilian air traffic.

“Tragically, last night, a mistake was made,” Hegseth explained.

“We do know on our side who was involved. It was a fairly experienced crew, and that was doing a required annual night evaluation,” Hegseth said earlier. “We anticipate that the investigation will quickly be able to determine whether the aircraft was in the quarter at the right altitude at the time of the incident.”

“It’s a tragedy, a horrible loss of life for those 64 souls on that civilian airliner. And of course, the three soldiers in that Black Hawk. They’re in our prayers, their families and their communities as people are notified.”

The UH-60 Black Hawk was assigned to the 12th Aviation Battalion at Davison Army Airfield, Fort Belvoir—a unit tasked with critical national defense operations in the D.C. area. The exact nature of the continuity of government drill remains unclear, but such missions are designed to ensure the U.S. government can function in the event of a catastrophic attack or emergency.

A continuity of government (COG) mission is a classified operation designed to ensure that the U.S. government can continue functioning during and after a catastrophic event. These missions are part of longstanding federal protocols that prepare for scenarios such as nuclear attacks, terrorist threats, cyber warfare, or other crises that could disrupt governance.

The primary goal is to preserve leadership, protect key government officials—including the president, vice president, and congressional members—and ensure they can be relocated to secure locations if necessary. COG missions also focus on maintaining secure communications and establishing emergency networks so that the government can continue issuing orders and responding to threats.

Military aircraft, including Black Hawk helicopters, often play a role in these operations, transporting officials, intelligence assets, or vital communications equipment. Additionally, the military regularly conducts training exercises for these scenarios, simulating emergency responses and flying along designated routes to test readiness.

Given the helicopter’s role in continuity of government operations, it may have been practicing emergency transport protocols or other security-related maneuvers. Officials are expected to release additional details in the coming days, but the loss of 67 lives has already led to serious scrutiny of the military’s coordination with civilian airspace.