Many local and national changes have occurred since American Airlines Flight 5342 departed from Eisenhower National Airport in Wichita on this day (Jan. 29) last year.
The plane collided with a U.S. Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River near the Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. There were no survivors.
The 67 victims — 60 passengers, four flight crew members and three military personnel in the helicopter — who died in the collision were from across the globe. Seven were Kansans.
The National Transportation Safety Board, which conducted a year-long investigation into the incident, released its findings Tuesday. Investigators blamed systemic failures, including years of ignored warnings about traffic in the area and a failure to alert the jet’s pilot to the helicopter’s presence, according to the Associated Press.
Before the investigation was completed, the board had already acknowledged mistakes and warning signs that were ignored, even in the years leading up to the collision. One of the major issues being the Federal Aviation Administration’s failure to recognize that the route between the two flights was, at most, 75 feet apart.
The Associated Press also reported that NTSB also found that air traffic volume — the number of vehicles traveling by air — increased to 12 about a minute-and-a-half before the crash, causing the air traffic controller to become “overwhelmed,” and could have benefited from a second controller.
Changes that the NTSB suggested to Congress include requiring advanced locator systems on aircraft and adjusting collision avoidance systems.
Changes from the collision are not just happening on a national level, however.
The Shocker Support Locker was renamed the Kiah Duggins Shocker Support Locker in October 2025 to honor Wichita State alumna and victim of the collision, Kiah Duggins. Duggins played a role in the creation of the then-Shocker Food Locker during her time at WSU, wanting to help students struggling with food insecurity.
On the flight, there were also more than 20 members of a figure skating community from the Skating Club of Boston. The skaters were visiting Wichita for the 2025 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
Maxim Naumov’s parents were two of the passengers on that flight. He later earned a spot on the American Figure Skating Team for the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
To honor those who were affected by the collision, Wichita held a community prayer service at City Hall Thursday afternoon. The Wichita Figure Skating Club will host a moment of silence. There will also be a memorial at Eisenhower National Airport until Feb. 2.
