Plane crash in DC plane and chopper in Potomac River (Sadly there were NO survivors)

well I wasn't referring to you because that would be saying that chatgpt is wrong

 

I always fly out of BWI...being a southwest hub makes flying convenient. All bite the bullet and go out of Dulles for international but have to give myself so much extra time because of the beltway traffic. Never considered flying out of National for anything

 

Last February my middle was Blessed with the Honor to lay the Wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown.

I could not miss it. So flew up Monday into Reagan. Got to be with her class for the morning and lunch. Flew back out of Reagan at 4pm the next day (hour delay for mechanical issues). Reagan is so easy imo!

 

I will never forget February 13, 2024…

 

Appreciate that. A truly special day. She wrote an essay that I have never seen that led to her being picked with three others at her school.

Memories for a Lifetime!

 

Truly awesome and such an honor. I also remember that there were actually people on here that had issues with the trip

 

A retired Colonel who was an experienced Blackhawk pilot and crew chief said that the biggest mistake in the planning of the flight was not reducing risk by having a 4th crew member:

Colonel "Joe":
"The single-greatest error in this accident was the decision to fly without a second Crew Chief on the left-hand side of the Blackhawk, who could have provided an extra set of eyes to “look out-and-up” to see the approaching American Airlines Passenger plane.

*Night Vision Goggle (NVG) flights result in a sort-of “tunnel vision” for all who wear the NVGs and normal policy in many Army flight units is to force a full crew of 2 pilots and 2 crew chiefs for all NVG flights, so that you always have “eyes out” to both sides of the aircraft, when flying in those conditions. While not mandatory, it is the proper safety call, especially when flying in the vicinity of a busy, major airport such as Reagan Airport (DCA). No matter how competent the pilots and Crew Chiefs may be, this flight needed a second Crew Chief on the left side of the chopper.

*The front-left pilot, even if not wearing Night Vision Goggles, would still have limited visibility out the left door, and if that pilot is busy with radio calls, or referencing the map/GPS, that pilot could get consumed by work inside the cockpit, instead of looking out and around.

*Flight Unit Leadership failed to recognize the need for a second Crew Chief in the Mission Planning and Risk Assessment Process. This is where either incompetence, or DEI (or both), may have come into play. This was certainly poor leadership."
WAYNE ROOT: Here is the Best Explanation I’ve Heard for the Crash at Reagan Airport From An Experienced Blackhawk Pilot and Crew Chief | The Gateway Pundit | by Assistant Editor

 

DC plane crash updates: Helicopter had advanced safety system turned off, lawmaker says

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Army helicopter that collided with an American Airlines plane and killed 67 people last week had turned off an advanced safety system that tracks aircraft location, Sen. Ted Cruz said on Thursday.

Cruz, who was among a group of lawmakers briefed on the collision by federal investigators, said the Black Hawk helicopter had switched off its automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast prior to the collision on Jan 29.

The system improves visibility by broadcasting information to air traffic control, including an aircraft's GPS location, altitude and ground speed, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

"This was a training mission, so there was no compelling national security reason for ADS-B to be turned off," Cruz said after a briefing from the National Transportation Safety Board and FAA.

 

A near miss at Reagan airport again. Delta A-319 passenger jet almost collides with an Air Force T-38 from Langley shortly after the Delta plane took off. It happened as four other T-38's were preparing to perform a fly-over at Arlington National Cemetery nearby. The T-38 was flying at 800' and 350 mph. The near-miss was very close to the same spot where the Army helicopter hit the American Airlines regional jet. A collision warning sounded in the Delta jet's cockpit. Fortunately, the air traffic controllers were able to provide instructions to both pilots to prevent the crash.

Trump probably needs to make a few more cuts to the ATC if he wants regular plane crashes to watch from the White House windows.

Collision warning sounds in cockpit of Delta plane due to close call with Air Force jet near Reagan National Airport

 

I’ve read that there have been dozens of near misses at Reagan in just the past few years. Something was already broken.

 

this is automated system in the cockpit. It’s called an RA. Just had one in Phoenix where a general aviation aircraft busted airspace and caused us to get an automated instruction to climb rapidly. Often times when we get these we are the ones telling ATC what is going on not vice versa. I fly about 80 hours a month in the A320 and get about one RA a year. Multiply that by number of commercial airline pilots to estimate frequency of occurrence. It’s an effective system but not new. Trump nor Biden had anything to do with the one in DC or mine in PHX

 

Female helicopter pilot ignored warnings. As usual with the NY Times, when the person who screwed up is a liberal,woman, minority, lesbian, gay, transgender etc the most interesting part is buried deep in the story

 

The collision was caused by a combination of factors. Below is a link to the story from the NY Times in its entirety, not just a couple of selective excerpts.
Times Investigation Into the Deadly Crash at National Airport: 5 Takeaways
It is clear that something went terribly wrong the night of Jan. 29, when an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines regional jet over the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan National Airport, killing everyone on board the aircraft.

But one error did not cause the worst domestic crash in the United States in nearly a quarter-century. Modern aviation is designed to have redundancies and safeguards that prevent a misstep, or even several missteps, from being catastrophic. On Jan. 29, that system collapsed, a New York Times investigation found.

Up to now, attention has focused on the Black Hawk’s altitude, which was too high and placed it directly in the jet’s landing path. But The Times uncovered new details showing that the failures were far more complex than previously understood.

 

This is a reasonable take:

 

Reader: “So it was the woman ?”

NYT: “Shut up! Just shut UP!”

 

I’ve been an airline pilot for 25+ years and I can say without hesitation if at any time I have concerns about the safe operation of the aircraft I will state very clearly and loudly “ my controls” and take command of the aircraft. It’s a short phrase that every aviator(fixed and rotor) knows and understands. If that instructor had any concerns he should have been more affirmative in his commands. Yes she messed it up, but there were a lot of poor decisions by multiple people, Including who I would be more likely to point my concerns toward such as her instructor and ATC . Aviation is very unforgiving environment and you have to act promptly, confidently and with commitment. Unfortunately, the people at the controls did not and everyone paid with their lives.

 

Would this helicopter have benefitted from more toxic masculinity ?