The Pentagon-NATS Investigative Team Observes the Fractal Mid Air Collision between an American Airlines Flight and an Army Helicopter
There is still an investigation into the mid air collision between an American Airlines airliner and an Army helicopter in which the airliner fell into the icy river near Washington DC’s Reagan National Airport.
Video footage of the incident shows the aircraft flying at a low altitude before an explosion happened at the moment of impact. John Cox, an aviation expert, told NPR that the airspace around Reagan National Airport is particularly difficult for pilots and air traffic controllers.
“We will not be determining the probable cause of the accident while we are here on scene, nor will we speculate about what may have caused this accident,” J. Todd Inman, a member of the NTSB, said Thursday.
On Thursday, the agency said it retrieved both the black boxes from the American Airlines plane. Cockpit conversations and other noises are recorded on black boxes, which contain information about the aircraft and flight. They will be used to investigate what happened during the moments leading to the wreck.
More than a dozen of the passengers were figure skaters, coaches or family members from the Boston Skating Club, which sent several of its team members to Kansas for the U.S. Figure Skating Championship in 25 years time.
The next day, he hypothesized in remarks to the press without offering evidence that faulty night vision goggles or diversity, equity and inclusion policies could have played a part in the collision.
A reporter asked how a conclusion about the relevance of DEI could be reached so early on in the investigation, to which the president said: “Because I have common sense, OK? A lot of people don’t. We want brilliant people doing this.”
The Colgan Air Flight and Helicopter Collision of a 2009 Colgan-Air Flight in the Outburst of New York City
“This is something that — it’s been many years since something like this has happened, and the collision is just something that we don’t expect it to happen ever again,” he said.
The last major airplane accident in the US occurred in 2009, when a Colgan Air flight crashed near Buffalo, killing 50 people.
Former President Joe Biden said, “Jill and I are praying for the families of the victims who tragically lost their lives in the plane and helicopter crash near DCA. We are grateful to the first responders and emergency personnel.
“This is a time when we have to help each other out, and that’s when we will have to join arms,” said Sen. Roger Marshall. We’ve had floods and tornadoes, but it’s really hard when you lose over 60 Kansans at the same time.
Officials said the tower at Reagan National Airport alerted the Black Hawk to the presence of American Eagle Flight 5342 on two occasions: once two minutes before the crash, the second one just 12 seconds before impact.
Lobach, the Third Crew Member of the Airborne Black Hawk Launcher, During the September 11, 2009 Shock-Doppler Flight, Revisited
In a prepared statement, the Lobach family said, “We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Rebecca. She was always a bright star in our lives. She was kind, generous, brilliant, funny, ambitious and strong. No one dreamed bigger or worked harder to achieve her goals.”
“Initial indications suggest this may have been a checkride, or periodic evaluation by an experienced instructor pilot of a less experienced pilot,” said Brad Bowman, a military analyst with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a former Black Hawk pilot who after the 9/11 attacks flew out of Fort Belvoir on the same routes
“A checkride, as opposed to a normal training flight, creates some unique dynamics in the cockpit. The less experienced pilot can be anxious and wanting to not make a mistake, while the instructor pilot wants to know how the other pilot reacts to different developments. A test of less experienced aviators by an instructor pilot would be unusual and inadvisable in that location given the reduced margin for error.
The aircraft is supposed to maintain a height of 200 feet, but officials who were not authorized to speak publicly about the investigation told NPR that the Black Hawk may have been more than 100 feet higher.
Brown said she would march 12 miles with a 45 pound pack, at a pace faster than the standard for infantry soldiers. Lobach hoped to fly her Black Hawk at some point on a combat deployment and dreamed of one day becoming a doctor.
First Lieutenant Brown, a field artillery soldier, described her as brilliant, dedicated and a fierce competitor.
She died along with fellow pilot Chief Warrant Officer Andrew Eaves, 39, of Great Mills, Md. and crew member Staff Sergeant Ryan O’Hara, 28, of Lilburn, Ga.
Captain Rebecca Lobach was 28 years old and a native of Durham, N.C. She earned a military degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and was commissioned as an aviation officer.
The third crew member of the helicopter that slammed into a flight above the river, killing 67 people, was released by the Army.
The speculation about the third member of the crew, especially the musings of the President that the Army crew was to blame, were condemned by Duckworth. Speaking at the White House briefing room on Thursday, the President said, “I have helicopters. You can stop a helicopter very quickly. It had the ability to go up or down. It was able to turn, and it did not make the correct turn.
When a family has suffered an unbelievable loss, we should be respecting their wishes. “I think it is a perfectly legitimate request the family would make. And I’m glad that the Army is honoring that request.”
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., herself a decorated former Black Hawk pilot, told NPR she understood why the family initially declined to make their loved one’s name public.
Jo Ellis was supposedly a female pilot from the Virginia National Guard. Ellis has posted a “proof of life” video on Facebook, denouncing the rumors and offering condolences to those killed in the crash.
The Black Hawk crash ushered in a wave of disinformation from social media focusing on diversity, inclusion and equity, or DEI. The Trump administration intends to eradicate diversity efforts in the government.