Washington: The U.S. Justice Department admitted on Wednesday that the U.S. federal government was liable in the fatal collision between an army helicopter and an airline jet that killed 67 people near the U.S. capital in January. The tragic incident marks the deadliest plane crash on American soil in more than 20 years.

According to Namibia Press Agency, double failures to operate properly at the time led to the tragedy. The collision occurred on January 29 between a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet near the Reagan Washington National Airport. The airliner had 60 passengers and four crew members on board, while three soldiers were aboard the helicopter.

The Department specified that the army pilot did not maintain vigilance and failed to adequately operate the helicopter. Concurrently, a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air traffic controller did not comply with an FAA order, failing to follow air traffic control procedures, as reported by media sources.

As a consequence of these failures, the federal government has been deemed liable for damages resulting from this tragic incident.