WASHINGTON, Sept 24 (Reuters) - The family of one of the

victims of the January 29 fatal collision between an American

Airlines ( AAL ) regional jet and a U.S. Army helicopter that killed 67

people near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport sued the

airline, its subsidiary and the U.S. government on Wednesday.

The lawsuit also names PSA Airlines, which was operating the

flight.

The lawsuit said the airlines along with the Army and

Federal Aviation Administration failed to prevent the "wholly

avoidable tragedy."

The suit said the Army flight crew failed to operate the

Blackhawk helicopter at or below the mandatory altitude and the

FAA failed to separate aircraft in airspace and issue safety

alerts when aircraft are in an unsafe proximity.