The U.S. government has officially acknowledged the roles played by both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the U.S. Army in the tragic midair collision over the Potomac River near Washington, D.C., last January, which resulted in the loss of 67 lives.

In a recent legal filing addressing a lawsuit initiated by the family of one of the victims, government attorneys admitted that the FAA failed to adhere to its procedures concerning when air traffic controllers can depend on pilots for maintaining visual separation. Furthermore, it was noted that the Army helicopter pilots did not uphold the necessary vigilance to avoid the descending passenger jet.

“The United States admits that it owed a duty of care to Plaintiffs, which it breached,” the legal document stated, marking a significant admission of responsibility.

The tragic incident occurred on January 29, when an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided midair with an American Airlines passenger plane in close proximity to Ronald Reagan Washington International Airport. The collision resulted in the deaths of 64 passengers on American Eagle Flight 5342, along with three individuals aboard the military helicopter.

Emergency response teams, including Washington, D.C. Fire and EMS, and D.C. Police, were quickly on the scene to assess the wreckage in the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The American Airlines flight, which had embarked from Wichita, Kansas, collided with the helicopter while making its approach to the airport. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

The estate of Casey Crafton, one of the passengers killed, filed the first lawsuit in September regarding the crash over the nation’s capital, with his wife Rachel and family leading the legal action.

U.S. attorneys admitted in the filing that the helicopter and passenger jet pilots “failed to maintain vigilance” and the Black Hawk pilots “failed to maintain proper and safe visual” separation from the American Airlines craft.

The local air traffic controller also failed to comply with FAA procedures, the attorneys said.

Wreckage from American Airlines flight 5342 is pulled from the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan National Airport on Monday, February 3, 2025. The plane collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter on January 29, killing 67 people.  (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Robert Clifford, the attorney for plaintiff Rachel Crafton, reacted to the government’s concessions, saying that the families and their counsel will “carefully study these new filings.”

“These families remain deeply saddened and anchored in the grief caused by this tragic loss of life,” Clifford said in a statement. “During this holiday season, the families are especially disheartened by the shattered joyfulness without their loved ones.”

Wreckage is seen in the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, on Thursday, Jan. 30.  (Petty Officer 1st Class Brandon Giles, U.S. Coast Guard via AP)

The lawsuit also targeted American Airlines and its regional partner, PSA Airlines, for their roles in the disaster, but both have filed motions to dismiss.

The National Transportation Safety Board is expected to release its report on the cause of the crash in January.

Fox News Digital reached out to the U.S Army and the FAA for comment.