All flights halted at Reagan National Airport due to plane crash

[Wingnut]

I think you're probably right. At this point, it seems less about malice and more about (multiple) human errors.

Somehow it will be deemed Trumps fault.

[mystery-ak]

This is a good review and analysis by a real expert on aviation and the industry.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouDAnO8eMf8

Very informative..thanks for posting that...

[mystery-ak]

Somehow it will be deemed Trumps fault.

They already are...just posted..

[mystery-ak]

Karoline Leavitt
@PressSec
·
34m
The President will hold a press briefing on the aviation disaster at 11:00AM ET in the James S. Brady Briefing Room.

[rangerrebew]

‘Fairly experienced crew’ aboard crashed Black Hawk chopper: Hegseth

Fox News chief national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin reports on the Black Hawk helicopter that collided with an American Airlines flight on ‘America’s Newsroom.’

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6367998123112

[rangerrebew]

Operating on different frequencies?

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

WTF was this helicopter crew thinking? No way that a commercial airliner is to blame from this IMO, at least based on the initial information I'm seeing. Terrible dark news.

[mystery-ak]

1 hour(s) ago
Pinned
President Trump to address DC plane disaster from White House briefing room

President Donald Trump will hold a press briefing to discuss the plane disaster in Washington, D.C., at 11:00 a.m. ET in the White House briefing room, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday.

Trump was previously briefed on the disaster late Wednesday after an American Airlines plane collided midair with an Army Black Hawk helicopter at Reagan National Airport.

"May God bless their souls," Trump said of the 60 passengers and four crew members aboard the plane, as well as three soldiers on the helicopter. He also thanked first responders and said he will continue to monitor the situation as it develops.

Nearly 300 first responders are engaged in recovery operations in the Potomac River. There are believed to be no survivors of the crash. Authorities have withheld the names and identification of the victims until their next of kin are first notified.

Earlier, Trump said the collision "should have been prevented," noting that the skies were clear Wednesday night.
Posted by Chris Pandolfo

[mystery-ak]

An American figure skater was barred from the American Airlines flight that collided with a U.S. Army helicopter near Reagan International Airport on Thursday night.

Jon Maravilla told Russia’s Sputnik he was not allowed on the flight because his dog was too big to board. He said he ultimately decided to make the 14-hour drive back from Wichita, Kansas, to Washington, D.C. He also mentioned the issue on his personal Instagram account.

Maravilla told RIA Novosti that there were "about 14 figure skaters on the plane, not counting their parents and coaches," according to The New York Times.

"Such a tragedy," he added.
Posted by Ryan Gaydos

[mystery-ak]

First Lady Melania Trump
@FLOTUS
·
21m
My heart goes out to those impacted by last night’s terrible tragedy. I pray for those who so sadly lost their lives, their families & loved ones, & the first responders who have worked tirelessly through the night. May they find strength and solace in this difficult time.

[240B]

WTF was this helicopter crew thinking?

Helicopter was told to about the plane closing. Helicopter acknowledge the plane and said he could see it and was avoiding.
Unfortunately, the Helicopter pilot was looking at a different airplane in the area. Just a mistake, nothing more.

[mountaineer]

Somehow it will be deemed Trumps fault.

CNN already blamed Trump last night.

[Wingnut]

They already are...just posted..

CNN already blamed Trump last night.

Man, they never learn.  They don't care.

[DB]

Helicopter was told to about the plane closing. Helicopter acknowledge the plane and said he could see it and was avoiding.
Unfortunately, the Helicopter pilot was looking at a different airplane in the area. Just a mistake, nothing more.

Don't buy that. The helicopter is filled with high tech equipment to identify things surrounding it and avoid them. The plane landing was on a stable course. Something more than looking the wrong way happened.

[mystery-ak]

https://twitter.com/CurtisHouck/status/1885001809082663188

[DB]

CNN already blamed Trump last night.

Yep, they're stuck on stupid...

[Timber Rattler]

Don't buy that. The helicopter is filled with high tech equipment to identify things surrounding it and avoid them. The plane landing was on a stable course. Something more than looking the wrong way happened.

That's not true.  Simple pilot error, as is almost always these case in these things.

[mystery-ak]

https://twitter.com/BreitbartNews/status/1885002615592796510

[mountaineer]

Mark McEathron
@Mark_McEathron
I was a Blackhawk helicopter crew chief in the Army.

I was even a Flight Instructor. This means that I trained Crew Chiefs and ensured that they completed all training annually to maintain their flight ratings.

One massive responsibility we had was to be the eyes for the pilots. We handled airspace obstacle avoidance and communicated potential risks to the pilots.

Quite often we would train as a flight of 2 or 3 birds flying in formation.

It was my job to have my head out the window and tell the pilots that the aircraft behind us was "staggered right at 3 discs". (We measured close distances in terms of the diameter of our rotor discs).

I can tell you after doing this for hundreds of hours, even when you know EXACTLY where a Blackhawk is, and you have night vision goggles on, it is EXTREMELY hard to SEE the aircraft.

These birds are designed to be hard to see at night. The red and green lights on the side get lost in the lights of the city below. The only "lights" on top of the aircraft are called "slime lights" because they are a very very very dim green. Incredibly difficult to see.

If you are above the helicopter, even if it has it flood light or spot light (2 different lights) on, underneath it, it is still hard to see the bird because all of that illumination is below the airframe.

Another thing people should know is just how busy things can get on the aircraft.  Pilots are talking to each other about what they are observing on the instrument panels. This means neither are looking outside the aircraft.

The crew chief might be conducting a fuel check, where we would also be looking up into the cockpit at the fuel gages and the clock.

This CAN lead to moments where all 3 people on the aircraft are all looking inside the aircraft.

It's not supposed to happen that way. We are supposed to announce when we are "coming inside" or are "back outside" the aircraft. But that doesn't always happen.

Also, in cities like DC, the radio traffic is constant and can make it hard to filter out what is important for you to listen to. Checking instruments, doing math, reading checklists, and listening to multiple radios all at the same time is HARD. Mistakes happen.

Anyone out there telling you that they find the aircraft collision to be suspect, have NEVER been in a flight crew and they have ZERO idea what they are talking about. Ignore them all. Better yet, mock the hell out of them.

999 times out of 1000 aircraft incidents always come down to a series of pilot and crew errors. Humans are involved. They aren't perfect.

Tonight, my heart and mind is with the families of those involved in this tragic event.

I won't join the chorus of idiots making speculations.
1:22 AM · Jan 30, 2025

[DB]

That's not true.  Simple pilot error, as is almost always these case in these things.

I didn't say that. What I said is it was more than looking the wrong direction. What's all the tech for if both pilots can simply look the wrong way and fly into something moving on a consistent flight path?

[mystery-ak]

https://twitter.com/nicksortor/status/1885004323186229349

[mystery-ak]

Matt Viser
@mviser
·
5m
President Trump: "The FAA, which is overseen by Secretary Pete Buttigieg, a real winner...Do you know how badly everything's run since he's run this Department of Transportation? He's a disaster."

He adds: "He's a disaster now. He's just got a good line of bullshit."

[240B]

Don't buy that. The helicopter is filled with high tech equipment to identify things surrounding it and avoid them. The plane landing was on a stable course. Something more than looking the wrong way happened.

The helicopter was conducting a "training flight". Easy to assume the pilot was inexperienced. I don't know what happened?

[mystery-ak]

Juanita Broaddrick
@atensnut
·
6m
JUST NOW President Trump:  “Pete Buttigieg ran the Dept of Transportation right into the ground with his Diversity.”

[DB]

The helicopter was conducting a "training flight". Easy to assume the pilot was inexperienced. I don't know what happened?

It was a periodic "qualifications" flight with experienced people, at least that's how it is being reported.