PREVIEW - The Friday Edition: Making sense of the Washington, D.C., plane crash.

On Wednesday, January 29, an Army Black Hawk helicopter carrying three soldiers collided with an American Airlines plane carrying 60 passengers and four crew members over the Potomac River. The plane had been approaching Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., and was preparing to land when the helicopter intersected its path, killing all 67 people . The crash was the deadliest air accident in the U.S. since November 11, 2001 . The crash prompted immediate questions about why modern aviation safety systems failed to prevent the disaster. Furthermore, the visceral nature of the accident — a mid-air explosion followed by a freefall into the water — adds a layer of unease to these questions as Americans try to make sense of the tragedy. Today, we’ll explore five aspects of the crash: what we know so far, the leading theories about what caused it, what reforms might be needed, whether DEI initiatives or changes to aviation safety standards were involved, and the implications for public safety. In Tangle fashion, we consulted a wide range of opinions during our research, and we’ll feature analysis from four aviation experts throughout the edition. This is a preview of today's special edition that is available in full and ad-free for our premium podcast subscribers. If you'd like to complete this episode and receive Sunday editions, exclusive interviews, bonus content, and more, head over to tanglemedia.supercast.com and sign up for a membership. If you are currently a newsletter subscriber, inquiry with us about how to receive a 33% discount on a podcast subscription! Ad-free podcasts are here! Many listeners have been asking for an ad-free version of this podcast that they could subscribe to — and we finally launched it . You can go to tanglemedia.supercast.com to sign up! You can also give the gift of a Tangle podcast subscription by clicking here . You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. This podcast is written and researched by Will Kaback and edited and engineered by Jon Lall. Music for the podcast was produced by Jon Lall. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Hunter Casperson, Kendall White, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Our logo was created by Magdalena Bokowa, Head of Partnerships and Socials. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.