FlightFollowerUS Navy Seahawk Strikes Black Hawk During Night Training
A UH-60A and an MH-60R Collide Near San Diego
At about 5:50 p.m. on November 22, 2022, two Black Hawk-family helicopters touched in the dark above Brown Field Municipal Airport (SDM) in San Diego. One was a civilian-registered Sikorsky UH-60A, N160AQ; the other a US Navy Sikorsky MH-60R, 166583. Both were on training flights, both were substantially damaged, and remarkably no one aboard either aircraft was hurt.
The UH-60 crew were practising with night vision goggles. Their helicopter was sitting on the underrun area of runway 26L, with the pilot in command at the controls and ready to lift off.
The NTSB final investigation WPR23LA045 combined complete Brown Field tower audio, ADS-B data, FAA radar data, ATC interviews and photographs. The two helicopters were conducting nighttime training near the non-movement portion of Runway 26L, known as the underrun.
“I Need You on the Go, Copter 129”
He heard the tower controller state, “I need you on the go, copter 129.” After departing, and while between 200 to 500 ft above ground level (agl) the PIC saw another helicopter fly over as it appeared in his left-side upper window. He lowered the collective, put in right cyclic, and then felt the contact along with noise and vibrations. He made a mayday call and landed to the area between the runways.
Once down, he had his co-pilot carry out an emergency shutdown. The Navy crew's view of events matched. The tower had cleared them as number two behind traffic on short final for the 26L underrun, cleared for the option, and then, once they were lined up on final, told them to “go around the north side of 26L.” Somewhere over the first half of the runway their pilot felt a hit on the aft underside of the helicopter and saw debris thrown up beneath the rotor disc. They landed on runway 26L.
The UH-60 sustained damage to the four main rotor blades at the tips, damage to one tail rotor blade, and damage to the vertical stabilizer. The MH-60 sustained damage to the left side of the stabilator. Both helicopters were recovered to secure facilities for further examination.
The first helicopter, a UH-60A, was preparing to depart. The second, an MH-60R, was approaching and was instructed to go around north of Runway 26L. The NTSB found that the second helicopter’s crew failed to maintain visual separation while complying with the go-around instruction. The Board also identified nighttime conditions and the absence of a controller safety alert as contributing factors.
Why a Tower Instruction Wasn't Enough on Its Own
That finding makes this a particularly valuable ATC case. The controller’s instruction was not itself enough to guarantee separation. The pilots still had to maintain visual awareness of the other helicopter, while the controller had another opportunity to issue a specific traffic alert when the paths converged.
Research and reconstruction
Flight Follower Editorial Team
This reconstruction was researched from official investigation records where they exist, the original air traffic control recording, and contemporary reporting. The aircraft movement, timeline and written account were assembled independently by Flight Follower. Where an investigation is open or no probable cause has been published, the account says so rather than offering one.
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Sources and investigation material
Accident Facts
- Incident date
- 22 Nov 2022
- Registration
- N160AQ
- Aircraft
- Black Hawk, Helicopter
- Category
- Emergency, Crash, Midair / Near miss, Military
- Reconstruction
- 11:58