All flights halted at Reagan National Airport due to plane crash

[DB]

I agree, but I don't know what obstacles exist over there, either. Ideally, they would never be in each other's airspace and transit corridors would not intersect.

Fox News is now reporting that the helicopter wasn't within its approved flight plan, that it was supposed to stay below 200' and it was supposed to stay near the east bank but was miles off the approved corridor. If true, that was the cause of the crash.

Correction, they were apparently 1/2 mile out of the corridor they were supposed to be in.

[Lando Lincoln]

There is a reasonable likelihood that DEI policy and practice prevented the hiring of qualified people because they failed to fit the necessary criteria. A short staff was more desirable than hiring a _____ person.

[dfwgator]

https://www.smerconish.com/exclusive-content/living-to-serve-living-as-myself-a-transgender-service-members-perspective/

It appears that on the 28th of January, she went on the smerconish podcast in a tell all...

Seems this was a suicide plan due to President Trump announcing all transgenders are being thrown out of the military.

 

Is this legit?   

[DCPatriot]

Is this legit?   

Evidently, NOT... she is not listed as being inside the blackhawk involved.

I'll take down the post...

But geezy peezy ----- how many transgenders who fly Blackhawks are stationed in Fr. Belvoir, Virginia??  

[Drago]

You would think that when in the direct flight path of the runways that the helicopter elevation window would be limited to between 100 and 250 feet and to stay on the far side of the river away from the airport. Then it would be nearly impossible for a plane or boat to converge with their flight path.

There IS a 200 foot AGL (upper) altitude restriction for helicopters flying the pre-defined helicopter routes over the Potomac river...apparently the Blackhawk exceeded that altitude limit.

"Route 1" to "Route 4" on this map...(200' AGL upper limit in the DCA area):

https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff553d2af-d749-4456-9e75-b3a085c7f0a7_2854x1892.png

https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/flight_info/aeronav/productcatalog/vfrcharts/helicopter/

[DCPatriot]

Is this legit?   

@dfwgator   

The Jo Ellis Facebook page, below. The avatar picture of a black ribbon with AA5342 under it is in the "Photos" section with a timestamp of 4 hours ago.[/size}

"I'M SO CONFUSED!!!" ----- Vinnie Barbarino

[Timber Rattler]

Everybody looking for ulterior motives or some hidden conspiracy...COME ON PEOPLE!  It was simple pilot and maybe ATC errors in a very congested, tightly restricted air space, on a dark and windy night over the Potomac.  It was bound to happen, especially with ATC severely undermanned as we now know.  This is an institutional and systemic failure due to congressional and agency neglect, and nothing else.  The conspiracy theories are driving me crazy!!!   

[mountaineer]

I'm hesitant to run with the "trans pilot" allegation without more evidence or an acknowledgment from the Army. Everything can be faked online. However, if there is anything to it - and it's a BIG IF - it's probably fair to question whether it's related to the Antifa-related trans terror cell (linked to at least six homicides) on which Andy Ngo has reported.

As for DEI in the control tower, that's a legitimate criticism and a real safety concern - but we have no evidence it's played a part in this particular crash.

[Timber Rattler]

I'm hesitant to run with the "trans pilot" allegation without more evidence or an acknowledgment from the Army. Everything can be faked online.

That's absurd in the first place.  More fringe blog nonsense.

[mountaineer]

That's absurd in the first place.  More fringe blog nonsense.

It's astounding how quickly such stories spring up, complete with graphics and probably fake social media posts.

[Wingnut]

I'm hesitant to run with the "trans pilot" allegation without more evidence or an acknowledgment from the Army. Everything can be faked online. However, if there is anything to it - and it's a BIG IF - it's probably fair to question whether it's related to the Antifa-related trans terror cell (linked to at least six homicides) on which Andy Ngo has reported.

As for DEI in the control tower, that's a legitimate criticism and a real safety concern - but we have no evidence it's played a part in this particular crash.

This is making the rounds on the "Trans" pilot. 

https://www.smerconish.com/exclusive-content/living-to-serve-living-as-myself-a-transgender-service-members-perspective/

[DCPatriot]

This is making the rounds on the "Trans" pilot. 

https://www.smerconish.com/exclusive-content/living-to-serve-living-as-myself-a-transgender-service-members-perspective/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6LN4_YmzBM

@Timber Rattler    Get with the program, Slick!!   

[Timber Rattler]

@Timber Rattler    Get with the program, Slick!!   

Uh no!  There is ZERO evidence that this Army pilot was a tranny hell-bent on a suicide mission, and it is just stupid and disrespectful to even suggest that based on this bloggy nonsense.  This female pilot was not even the commander on the mission, since her boss was in the left seat and answering the calls from the ATC, while the crew chief sat in the back and was on look-out.  It was a routine training and certification flight that went sideways.  And I'm not even going down the sexist "woman pilot" hole---I've known several very good women military pilots over the years, and their gender has nothing to do with their airmanship skills or lack thereof.  So knock it off!

So now, I'm not going to stew in some delusional program that sees a conspiracy under every stone.

[mystery-ak]

Chief Warrant Office 2 Andrew Eaves, of Mississippi, was identified as one of the pilots of the doomed Army Black Hawk. (U.S. Armed Forces)

[Wingnut]

So now, I'm not going to stew in some delusional program that sees a conspiracy under every stone.

Well since so many of the past conspiracy theory's have been proven true I think we need some new ones.  So there is that.

[MeganC]

Everybody looking for ulterior motives or some hidden conspiracy...COME ON PEOPLE!  It was simple pilot and maybe ATC errors in a very congested, tightly restricted air space, on a dark and windy night over the Potomac.  It was bound to happen, especially with ATC severely undermanned as we now know.  This is an institutional and systemic failure due to congressional and agency neglect, and nothing else.  The conspiracy theories are driving me crazy!!!   

If there is a conspiracy it is in the potential cover up.

[DCPatriot]

Uh no!  There is ZERO evidence that this Army pilot was a tranny hell-bent on a suicide mission, and it is just stupid and disrespectful to even suggest that based on this bloggy nonsense.  This female pilot was not even the commander on the mission, since her boss was in the left seat and answering the calls from the ATC, while the crew chief sat in the back and was on look-out.  It was a routine training and certification flight that went sideways.  And I'm not even going down the sexist "woman pilot" hole---I've known several very good women military pilots over the years, and their gender has nothing to do with their airmanship skills or lack thereof.  So knock it off!

So now, I'm not going to stew in some delusional program that sees a conspiracy under every stone.

@Timber Rattler  Bless your heart! LOL!  There's so much I wish I could say to you.  However, at my age...with my blood pressure, and out of total respect for @mystery-ak and @Cyber Liberty and the rest of members I consider 'family'... will take the high road and try to utilize my scroll wheel.

PS:  It hasn't gone unnoticed just how certain NT members have once again slithered under their rocks since January 20th.

PS:  BTW... @Right_in_Virginia should be on TBR's Mount Rushmore and inducted in our Hall of Fame.

[DCPatriot]

If there is a conspiracy it is in the potential cover up.

@MeganC   @Wingnut

So true...  It's like we're all living in "THE SUM OF ALL FEARS 2"

This morning a son called me to suggest that "Jo Ellis" was already thrown into a wood chipper and the Blackhawk was converted into a drone.   

[Wingnut]

@MeganC   @Wingnut

So true...  It's like we're all living in "THE SUM OF ALL FEARS 2"

This morning a son called me to suggest that "Jo Ellis" was already thrown into a wood chipper and the Blackhawk was converted into a drone.   

Oy vey!  That's a good one!

[DB]

There IS a 200 foot AGL (upper) altitude restriction for helicopters flying the pre-defined helicopter routes over the Potomac river...apparently the Blackhawk exceeded that altitude limit.

"Route 1" to "Route 4" on this map...(200' AGL upper limit in the DCA area):

https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff553d2af-d749-4456-9e75-b3a085c7f0a7_2854x1892.png

https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/flight_info/aeronav/productcatalog/vfrcharts/helicopter/

Yep, the helicopter was not where it was supposed to be. They were the direct cause of the crash. Whether they could see the commercial aircraft or not, the cause was flying too high and too far from the east bank of the river. Air traffic control didn't appear to call them on any of that and was a contributing factor.

[Bigun]

No one here yet knows where the truth lies on this but at age 76 I have learned some hard lessons about taking ANYTHING the government tells you these days at face value.

[Timber Rattler]

@Timber Rattler  Bless your heart! LOL!  There's so much I wish I could say to you.  However, at my age...with my blood pressure, and out of total respect for @mystery-ak and @Cyber Liberty and the rest of members I consider 'family'... will take the high road and try to utilize my scroll wheel.

PS:  It hasn't gone unnoticed just how certain NT members have once again slithered under their rocks since January 20th.[/size]

PS:  BTW... @Right_in_Virginia should be on TBR's Mount Rushmore and inducted in our Hall of Fame.

 

[mystery-ak]

It Almost Happened the Night Before—Flight Had to Abort Landing at Reagan When Helicopter Got Too Close
By Bob Hoge | 8:44 PM on January 30, 2025

    A passenger flight had to abort landing at Reagan National Airport in Washington DC the day before American Airlines Flight 5342 collided in midair with a helicopter.

    Republic Airways Flight 4514 was forced to back out of touching down and had to make a second approach after a helicopter appeared near its flight path.

    That's according to an audio recording from air traffic control captured on Tuesday and heard by The Washington Post.

more
https://redstate.com/bobhoge/2025/01/30/it-almost-happened-the-night-beforeflight-had-to-abort-landing-at-reagan-when-helicopter-got-too-close-n2185023

[mystery-ak]

More than 40 bodies recovered from Potomac River, official says

More than 40 bodies have now been recovered from the Potomac River following this week’s midair collision between an American Airlines passenger jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport, a law enforcement official told the Associated Press.

Officials said flight conditions were clear as the jet arrived from Wichita, Kansas, carrying, among others, a group of elite young figure skaters, their parents and coaches, and four union steamfitters from the Washington area.

A top Army aviation official said the crew of the helicopter, a Black Hawk, was “very experienced” and familiar with the congested flying that occurs daily around the city.

“Both pilots had flown this specific route before, at night. This wasn’t something new to either one of them,” Jonathan Koziol, chief of staff for Army aviation, told the AP.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Posted by Greg Norman

[mystery-ak]

Where the NTSB investigation is heading this morning

[mystery-ak]

Two planes aborted landings at DCA due to helicopters in flight path in week before crash: report

Military helicopter flights forced at least two planes to abort landings at Reagan National Airport in the week before a deadly collision presumably killed 67 people on Wednesday, according to a report.

On Tuesday night, just one day before the collision between an American Airlines flight and an Army Black Hawk helicopter, a different plane alerted the air traffic control tower that it had to abort its landing to avoid collision with a helicopter, the Washington Post reported.

Yet another plane arriving at DCA from Charlotte scrubbed its landing on Jan. 23, again because of a helicopter.

"They had to circle back around because there was a helicopter in the flight path," said RIchard Hart, a passenger on the Jan. 23 flight who spoke to the Washington Post. "At the time I found it odd. ... Now I find it disturbingly tragic."

The two close calls came within a week of Wednesday's horrifying collision, in which an inbound commercial flight from Wichita, Kansas, collided with a military helicopter over the Potomac River. A total of 64 people, including four crew members, were aboard passenger American Airlines Flight 5342, and three soldiers were on the Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk that came from Fort Belvoir in Virginia. All are presumed dead.
Posted by Chris Pandolfo

[mystery-ak]

Video: New Angle Shows How Midair Washington Plane-Helicopter Crash Unfolded

Simon Kent 31 Jan 2025

New vision has been released purporting to show the midair collision between an American Airlines jet and a U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter over Washington on Wednesday night from a new angle.

As Breitbart News reported, American Airlines flight 5342, with 60 passengers and four crew, was in the final minutes of its journey from Wichita, Kansas — where some figure skaters onboard had taken part in a competition and training camp.

Meanwhile, a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter with three military personnel was flying at the same altitude over the Potomac River during what was described as a routine nighttime training flight.

The two collided with deadly results. Watch below as the new vision unfolds:

https://twitter.com/stillgray/status/1885300723845411162

more
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/01/31/video-new-angle-shows-how-midair-washington-plane-helicopter-crash-unfolded/

[mystery-ak]

https://twitter.com/bennyjohnson/status/1885306661834785082

[MeganC]

https://twitter.com/bennyjohnson/status/1885306661834785082

Those poor people.

[Wingnut]

https://twitter.com/bennyjohnson/status/1885306661834785082

Holy shit.  The people on the plane didn't know what hit them.  Hope they didn't suffer.

[rangerrebew]

Midair Collision Draws Attention to Military Helicopter Training and Previous Accidents
 
Associated Press | By Ben Finley and Dylan Lovan
Published January 31, 2025 at 9:22am ET

To learn to fly a military helicopter is to take a master class in multitasking.

You need both hands and both feet to control the aircraft while keeping a close eye on the horizon and your altitude. If it's nighttime and you're flying low, you may be scanning the ground for familiar landmarks using night-vision goggles while also checking GPS instruments.
 
“You have six to seven radios to mess with,” said retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Darin Gaub, who flew Black Hawk helicopters for 22 years. “You're using everything. And by the way, you’re also supposed to fly the aircraft, which is why most military aircraft are crewed by a minimum of two pilots.”

The training for U.S. military helicopter pilots is getting heightened attention in the wake of Wednesday night's fatal midair collision between an Army Black Hawk helicopter and a passenger jet in the skies above Washington.

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2025/01/31/midair-collision-draws-attention-military-helicopter-training-and-previous-accidents.html

[American Girl]

Excerpt:
New footage has emerged showing the shocking mid-air collision between an American Airlines regional jet and a U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River near Washington, D.C. The horrifying crash left no survivors, killing all 67 people aboard both aircraft.

The latest reports suggest that the Black Hawk may have been off its approved flight path before the collision, raising serious questions about what really happened in the moments leading up to the tragedy. The helicopter was reportedly flying at a higher altitude than expected, according to sources familiar with the preliminary FAA investigation.





The airplane is on a path. Helicopter with maneuverability does not attempt to miss the plane. We need to know why.

How it looks is, bad.

Was this a Swiss cheese scenario, or was it deliberate?

https://conservativeus.com/breaking-video-chilling-new-angle-emerges-of-dc-mid-air-collision-whats-up-with-that-blackhawk/

[Timber Rattler]

The pilots and crew chief were looking at the wrong plane, either in front departing or behind incoming (after being alerted by ATC), and couldn't see its landing lights pointed perpendicularly away toward the runway on approach.  Wrong place, wrong time.

[DB]

Also very odd is that the helicopter increased altitude immediately before the collision (according the tracking data shown up thread), and they were flying well above their allowed ceiling before doing that.

[Timber Rattler]

Also very odd is that the helicopter increased altitude immediately before the collision (according the tracking data shown up thread), and they were flying well above their allowed ceiling before doing that.

Reacting to the previous alert by ATC, and looking at the wrong plane or planes.

[DB]

Reacting to the previous alert by ATC, and looking at the wrong plane or planes.

Increasing altitude to avoid something while already flying 100' higher than they were supposed to??? That doesn't make sense.

[Bigun]

Reacting to the previous alert by ATC, and looking at the wrong plane or planes.

Or intentionally flying into the plane. I don't know yet and neither do you.

[DB]

The pilots and crew chief were looking at the wrong plane, either in front departing or behind incoming (after being alerted by ATC), and couldn't see its landing lights pointed perpendicularly away toward the runway on approach.  Wrong place, wrong time.

Had they been flying at or below the maximum altitude they were assigned to it wouldn't have mattered what they were looking at.

[bigheadfred]

Why were they looking downstream instead of upstream?

[mystery-ak]

Black Hawk was training to evacuate government VIPs in emergency, Hegseth says

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth revealed to Fox News on Friday more details about the training flight that the Army Black Hawk helicopter was taking earlier this week when it collided with an American Airlines passenger jet.

“Without getting anything into anything that's classified, there are many things that happen in and around the Capitol that ensure in a contingency, in an emergency, our government is able to continue to operate,” Hegseth said. “And what happened in this particular instance was one of those types of flights.

“I mentioned it at the press conference yesterday, a continuity of government. There are other aspects to what is done there and you need to train as you fight. You need to rehearse in ways that would reflect a real-world scenario,” Hegseth added.
Posted by Greg Norman

[mystery-ak]

Plane wreckage is seen Thursday in the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport. (Petty Officer 1st Class Brandon Giles, U.S. Coast Guard via AP)

[mystery-ak]

Black Hawk helicopter was flying too high, half-mile off predetermined route when it crashed with American Airlines flight mid-air: report

"The Blackhawk helicopter was flying too high, by a lot. It was far above the 200-foot limit. That’s not really too complicated to understand, is it???"

The Black Hawk helicopter that collided with an American Airlines flight on Wednesday night, resulting in a fireball over the Potomac River just outside of Washington, DC’s Reagan National Airport, was reportedly flying outside its approved flight path and too high.

Four people briefed on the matter told the New York Times that the helicopter was supposed to be flying lower to the ground and in a different location as it flew around the busy airport. The helicopter pilot had asked the air traffic controller for permission to use Route 4 at Reagan, a specific, predetermined route on the Potomac that lets helicopters fly no higher than 200 feet and hugs the east side of the river. The route would have let the helicopter avoid the flight.

https://twitter.com/TPostMillennial/status/1885335062956093742

more
https://thepostmillennial.com/black-hawk-helicopter-was-flying-too-high-half-mile-off-predetermined-route-when-it-crashed-with-american-airlines-flight-mid-air-report?utm_campaign=64501

[Sighlass]

Previously in thread someone mentioned there was no "black box" on the helicopter.... does that still hold true?

A senior Army official who spoke with the outlet cautioned against making any assessments until the helicopter’s black box could be retrieved and analyzed

https://thepostmillennial.com/black-hawk-helicopter-was-flying-too-high-half-mile-off-predetermined-route-when-it-crashed-with-american-airlines-flight-mid-air-report

[Smokin Joe]

My vote is on Swiss cheese, with something else.
It is easy to get a little lax about some things, most everyone does it.

But, if you get away with that once, it will likely become the 'new normal', and the next small digression from proper procedure isn't just a 'little bit', but amplified by the previous digression now accepted as 'normal'.

Add a couple or three layers of that, and 'suddenly' everything is out of spec, sometimes tragically.

Not sure that is the case, here, but for all but the most intensely disciplined, it's human nature.

[MeganC]

I am just going to toss this out there that maybe it's time to close the Reagan Airport and open a new airport somewhere that isn't seconds away (by air) from our nation's most sensitive and important sites.

[mystery-ak]

https://twitter.com/bennyjohnson/status/1885410502513234140

[mountaineer]

I am just going to toss this out there that maybe it's time to close the Reagan Airport and open a new airport somewhere that isn't seconds away (by air) from our nation's most sensitive and important sites.

I've seen that suggested elsewhere - have all the large commercial planes use Dulles instead of Reagan. Of course, the congressional bigwigs won't like that, because they'll have to go out of their way to get to the airport.

[mystery-ak]

16 min(s) ago
Family of third soldier killed requesting Army not release name

The family of the third solider killed in Wednesday's deadly midair collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is requesting their identity not be publicly released, the Army said Friday.

The Army has named the other soldiers killed in the collision. They were identified as Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39, of Great Mills, Maryland, and Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O'Hara, 28, of Lilburn, Georgia.

Eaves' remains have not been recovered. He served in the Navy from August 2007 to September 2017 before transitioning to a Black Hawk pilot for the Army in September 2017.

O’Hara began serving as Black Hawk helicopter mechanic in July 2014.
Posted by Louis Casiano

[DB]

https://twitter.com/bennyjohnson/status/1885410502513234140

It certainly had the looks of that. But we simply don't know. Hopefully there will be enough information to determine that with certainty, one way or the other.

[mystery-ak]

A riverkeeper who routinely patrols the Potomac River reportedly found multiple items belonging to the American Airlines plane after it crashed Wednesday night, including pages from a flight manual, a woman’s sweater and what appeared to be the cushion from a pilot’s seat.

Dean Naujoks of the environmental group Potomac Riverkeeper told the Associated Press that he discovered the items near the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge – about two miles away from the crash site – and that they have been handed over to the FBI. He reportedly got permission to take his boat to the scene and found the items in shallow coves.

“Everything is covered in jet fuel,” Naujoks said. “I’m thinking of the people these things belonged to and it’s a punch to the gut. It’s just a sad day on the river.”

Naujoks also said he recovered a piece of the interior wall from the passenger cabin that had surrounded a window.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Posted by Greg Norman