Author Topic: All flights halted at Reagan National Airport due to plane crash (Read 38834 times)

Wingnut · « **Reply #100 on:** January 30, 2025, 10:14:23 am »

Quote from: Polly Ticks on January 30, 2025, 09:53:49 am

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 · « **Reply #101 on:** January 30, 2025, 10:19:00 am »

Quote from: Timber Rattler on January 30, 2025, 10:07:44 am

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 · « **Reply #102 on:** January 30, 2025, 10:20:03 am »

Quote from: Wingnut on January 30, 2025, 10:14:23 am

Somehow it will be deemed Trumps fault.

They already are...just posted..

mystery-ak · « **Reply #103 on:** January 30, 2025, 10:25:41 am »

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 · « **Reply #104 on:** January 30, 2025, 10:51:20 am »

‘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 · « **Reply #105 on:** January 30, 2025, 10:52:08 am »

Operating on different frequencies?

Weird Tolkienish Figure · « **Reply #106 on:** January 30, 2025, 10:58:10 am »

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 · « **Reply #107 on:** January 30, 2025, 11:06:01 am »

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 · « **Reply #108 on:** January 30, 2025, 11:07:12 am »

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 · « **Reply #109 on:** January 30, 2025, 11:09:53 am »

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 · « **Reply #110 on:** January 30, 2025, 11:20:59 am »

Quote from: Weird Tolkienish Figure on January 30, 2025, 10:58:10 am

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 · « **Reply #111 on:** January 30, 2025, 11:28:18 am »

Quote from: Wingnut on January 30, 2025, 10:14:23 am

Somehow it will be deemed Trumps fault.

CNN already blamed Trump last night.

Wingnut · « **Reply #112 on:** January 30, 2025, 11:30:23 am »

Quote from: mystery-ak on January 30, 2025, 10:20:03 am

They already are...just posted..

Quote from: mountaineer on January 30, 2025, 11:28:18 am

CNN already blamed Trump last night.

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

DB · « **Reply #113 on:** January 30, 2025, 11:30:41 am »

Quote from: 240B on January 30, 2025, 11:20:59 am

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 · « **Reply #114 on:** January 30, 2025, 11:31:16 am »

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

DB · « **Reply #115 on:** January 30, 2025, 11:31:21 am »

Quote from: mountaineer on January 30, 2025, 11:28:18 am

CNN already blamed Trump last night.

Yep, they're stuck on stupid...

Timber Rattler · « **Reply #116 on:** January 30, 2025, 11:33:27 am »

Quote from: DB on January 30, 2025, 11:30:41 am

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 · « **Reply #117 on:** January 30, 2025, 11:33:36 am »

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

mountaineer · « **Reply #118 on:** January 30, 2025, 11:36:40 am »

Quote

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 · « **Reply #119 on:** January 30, 2025, 11:38:40 am »

Quote from: Timber Rattler on January 30, 2025, 11:33:27 am

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 · « **Reply #120 on:** January 30, 2025, 11:39:20 am »

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

mystery-ak · « **Reply #121 on:** January 30, 2025, 11:40:18 am »

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 · « **Reply #122 on:** January 30, 2025, 11:40:25 am »

Quote from: DB on January 30, 2025, 11:30:41 am

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 · « **Reply #123 on:** January 30, 2025, 11:40:43 am »

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

DB · « **Reply #124 on:** January 30, 2025, 11:42:52 am »

Quote from: 240B on January 30, 2025, 11:40:25 am

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.

mystery-ak · « **Reply #125 on:** January 30, 2025, 11:43:59 am »

https://twitter.com/RealAmVoice/status/1885003582413602903

mystery-ak · « **Reply #126 on:** January 30, 2025, 11:45:25 am »

https://twitter.com/BreitbartNews/status/1885006138456047987

mystery-ak · « **Reply #127 on:** January 30, 2025, 11:49:27 am »

Trump should have just prayed with the American people..instead he is blaming the FAA, DEI, Military...just about everyone...too early for this..

mystery-ak · « **Reply #128 on:** January 30, 2025, 11:50:10 am »

https://twitter.com/BreitbartNews/status/1885007287405699512

Timber Rattler · « **Reply #129 on:** January 30, 2025, 11:50:51 am »

Quote from: mystery-ak on January 30, 2025, 11:49:27 am

Trump should have just prayed with the American people..instead he is blaming the FAA, DEI, Military...just about everyone...too early for this..

He just can't help himself, running that big yapper of his, and totally ignorant about what's going on. Hegseth was on top of it though.

mystery-ak · « **Reply #130 on:** January 30, 2025, 11:55:50 am »

https://twitter.com/nicksortor/status/1885008558720213082

mystery-ak · « **Reply #131 on:** January 30, 2025, 11:58:02 am »

https://twitter.com/RyanAFournier/status/1885007355718348958

mystery-ak · « **Reply #132 on:** January 30, 2025, 12:06:49 pm »

https://twitter.com/hillbilly239/status/1884806625598242899

mystery-ak · « **Reply #133 on:** January 30, 2025, 12:09:15 pm »

https://twitter.com/BreitbartNews/status/1885009723931369539

verga · « **Reply #134 on:** January 30, 2025, 12:26:00 pm »

Quote from: mystery-ak on January 29, 2025, 10:35:06 pm

https://twitter.com/KylieJaneKremer/status/1884804199830933887

It is possible that this was a student pilot, doing training, but he should not have been that close to a runway.

American Girl · « **Reply #135 on:** January 30, 2025, 12:39:59 pm »

Excerpt:
In a bold and unprecedented move, former President Donald Trump walked into the Press Briefing Room today, refusing to wait for the lengthy investigations that typically follow such tragedies, to voice his strong opinions on the recent DC plane crash. His direct approach has sparked a flurry of reactions across the nation.

Gosh, it feels great to have a real leader again.

Trump’s not pulling any punches.

He’s on a mission and doesn’t GAF about what critics say.

https://defiantamerica.com/breaking-president-trump-eviscerates-faa/

DB · « **Reply #136 on:** January 30, 2025, 12:51:07 pm »

Quote from: verga on January 30, 2025, 12:26:00 pm

It is possible that this was a student pilot, doing training, but he should not have been that close to a runway.

Or that's after the crash and they were searching for survivors.

mystery-ak · « **Reply #137 on:** January 30, 2025, 12:51:42 pm »

BNO News Live
@BNODesk
·
2h
First 6 victims of Flight 5342 identified:

1. Spencer Lane
2. Christine Lane (Spencer's mom)
3. Jinna Han
4. Jin Han (Jinna's mom)
5. Vadim Naumov (coach)
6. Evgenia Shishkova (coach)

All 6 were linked to The Skating Club of Boston

mystery-ak · « **Reply #138 on:** January 30, 2025, 01:00:24 pm »

President Donald Trump said Thursday that the deadly midair collision near Reagan National Airport "has really shaken a lot of people, including people very sadly, from other nations who were on the flight.

"For the family members back in Wichita, Kansas, here in Washington, D.C. and throughout the United States and in Russia -- we have a Russia contingent of very talented people, unfortunately, were on that plane. Very, very, very sorry about that, whose loved ones were aboard the passenger jet, we can only begin to imagine the agony that you're all feeling. Nothing worse," Trump said.

"Together, we take solace in the knowledge that their journey ended not in the cold waters of the Potomac, but in the warm embrace of a loving God," he also said.
Posted by Greg Norman

mystery-ak · « **Reply #139 on:** January 30, 2025, 01:01:35 pm »

Trump slams Buttigieg as 'disaster,' former transportation secretary hits back

President Donald Trump on Thursday criticized former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg as a "disaster."

"He's just got a good line of bulls--t," he said of the Democrat, after blasting diversity, equity and inclusion policies at the Federal Aviation Administration.

Buttigieg hit back, calling Trump "despicable" for blaming Democrats after an American Airlines flight collided in midair with an Army helicopter, presumably killing 67 people.

"As families grieve, Trump should be leading, not lying," Buttigieg said in a statement. "We put safety first, drove down close calls, grew Air Traffic Control, and had zero commercial airline crash fatalities out of millions of flights on our watch.

"President Trump now oversees the military and the FAA. One of his first acts was to fire and suspend some of the key personnel who helped keep our skies safe. Time for the President to show actual leadership and explain what he will do to prevent this from happening again."

Fox News Digital's Anders Hagstrom contributed to this update.
Posted by Chris Pandolfo

Lando Lincoln · « **Reply #140 on:** January 30, 2025, 01:34:00 pm »

The Democrats on these committees “have no clothes”. Despicable.

Lando Lincoln · « **Reply #141 on:** January 30, 2025, 01:35:55 pm »

Ooops, I think we wandered into the wrong thread, @mystery-ak.

dfwgator · « **Reply #142 on:** January 30, 2025, 01:36:26 pm »

Quote from: mystery-ak on January 30, 2025, 01:01:35 pm

Buttigieg hit back, calling Trump "despicable" for blaming Democrats after an American Airlines flight collided in midair with an Army helicopter, presumably killing 67 people.

Did he interrupt his breast-feeding to make that statement?

jafo2010 · « **Reply #143 on:** January 30, 2025, 01:40:42 pm »

Buttigieg was/is a total incompetent. Now living in Michigan, he is planning to run for the Senate. I sure hope the Republicans have a decent opponent to ensure this knucklehead is not elected.

mountaineer · « **Reply #144 on:** January 30, 2025, 01:45:40 pm »

Quote from: 240B on January 30, 2025, 11:40:25 am

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

Hegseth said the crew were experienced.

American Girl · « **Reply #145 on:** January 30, 2025, 01:49:34 pm »

Excerpt:
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), once revered for its precision and high standards, has undergone a dramatic transformation that has many questioning the safety of America’s skies. Historically, the FAA was the epitome of meritocracy, selecting air traffic controllers (ATCs) through rigorous training and testing to ensure only the most competent managed our nation’s air traffic. However, this changed significantly during the Obama administration and has only intensified under President Biden, with a focus shifting towards diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) over traditional merit-based selection.

There will always be lethal consequences for the woke-minded DNC-DEI hiring practices.

FAA, like every other government agency, has been under the DEI thumb, so this isn't surprising.

https://redstatenation.com/video-faa-rejects-3000-top-air-traffic-controller-applicants-for-being-white-heres-who-they-hired-instead-and-its-not-just-dei-screenshot/

MeganC · « **Reply #146 on:** January 30, 2025, 01:52:03 pm »

Quote from: mystery-ak on January 30, 2025, 11:49:27 am

Trump should have just prayed with the American people..instead he is blaming the FAA, DEI, Military...just about everyone...too early for this..

No, no it's not.

Quote

Donald Trump calls out the Biden administration for using DEI to lower the standards of the FAA. Some 3,000 high performing candidates were rejected from air traffic control positions on the basis of their race. pic.twitter.com/P4j9sE1yUu

The price of a less-than-exceptional ATC in this case are the lives of everyone on that airliner and in that helicopter.

From what I see the helicopter was approved for its flight path based on the airliner landing on another runway. Then the ATC diverted the airliner but forgot to divert the helicopter or didn't even bother looking for conflicting traffic.

In proximity to ground clutter the airliner's avoidance system is not going to issue a warning so the responsibility to control low altitude traffic in close proximity to the airport falls on the ATC.

If, as I suspect, the ATC is a DEI hire from the past four years then Trump's comment will be borne out.

And I imagine he knows more about this than we do right now.

mountaineer · « **Reply #147 on:** January 30, 2025, 01:57:31 pm »

Quote

Doomed Black Hawk helicopter's call sign sparks fresh mystery following DC plane crash
By ALYSSA GUZMAN FOR DAILYMAIL.COM and AP
Published: 13:10 EST, 30 January 2025 | Updated: 13:47 EST, 30 January 2025

The call sign for the doomed Black Hawk helicopter that crashed into an American Airlines plane and killed more than 60 passengers has sparked mystery as the public struggles to make sense of the tragic incident.

The Black Hawk was marked as a PAT 25, which stands for priority air transport and is usually reserved for when the Army is conducting VIP missions, such as having officials onboard.

The Army has confirmed no officials were onboard the aircraft, which was carrying three soldiers, a standard sized crew, according to Fox News Journalist Jennifer Griffin.

The military aircraft was conducting a training flight, according to Joint Task Force-National Capitol Region Media Chief Heather Chairez. It belonged to B Company, 12th Aviation Battalion out of Fort Belvoir in Virginia.

However, some aren't buying those claims, and question what the crew was carrying onboard for it be designated as a PAT 25.

Jacq Cerra, who is in the Army, is one of the people questioning it, saying on TikTok: 'I'm telling you right now - and they can kill me for saying it - under no circumstances is a military helicopter, especially a f**king Black Hawk, accidentally crashing into a commercial plane. ...

Daily Mail (U.K.)

DCPatriot · « **Reply #148 on:** January 30, 2025, 02:06:48 pm »

Quote from: 240B on January 30, 2025, 11:40:25 am

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

FOXNEWS recently said the "Pilot Instructor had over 1,000 hours flight experience".

mystery-ak · « **Reply #149 on:** January 30, 2025, 02:18:58 pm »

American Airlines CEO Appears to Blame Military Helicopter for Deadly D.C.-Area Crash

American Airlines CEO Robert Isom appeared to blame the Black Hawk military helicopter for the collision on Wednesday at Ronald Reagan National Airport, CNBC reported Thursday.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/01/30/american-airlines-ceo-appears-to-blame-military-helicopter-for-deadly-d-c-area-crash/