WASHINGTON — The widow of one of 67 people killed when a U.S. Army helicopter collided with American Eagle Flight 5342 in January sued the airline, its regional carrier and the federal government on Wednesday, saying their collective failures to ensure a safe airspace led to her husband’s death.

Rachel Crafton, the wife of Casey Crafton, alleges in her wrongful death suit that American Airlines and PSA Airlines, which operated the flight, “manipulated and abused” the arrival rate system at Ronald Reagan National Airport to force more planes in and out of the facility per hour. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in D.C., also faults the Army flight crew for failing to operate the Black Hawk helicopter at an appropriate altitude and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for flight co

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