All flights halted at Reagan National Airport due to plane crash

[DB]

Has the helicopter crews names been made public yet. It did seem odd that they named one person early on but not the other two. They have to have known who was on that flight from the beginning.

[mountaineer]

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.

I don't think so.

[Timber Rattler]

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

Abject nonsense.

The Department of Army identifies two of three Army Soldiers involved in Helicopter Crash

https://www.army.mil/article/282768/the_department_of_army_identifies_two_of_three_army_soldiers_involved_in_helicopter_crash

A United States Army UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter crashed at approximately 9 p.m. while performing a training mission near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Jan. 29. There was a three-person crew on board the helicopter. The UH-60 helicopter from the 12th Aviation Battalion, Davison Army Airfield, Fort Belvoir, Va., collided in midair with an American Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet Flight 5342 at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The FAA, NTSB and the United States Army are investigating. The NTSB will lead the investigation. We are working with local officials and will provide any additional information once it becomes available.

Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O’Hara, 28, of Lilburn, Georgia, is believed to be deceased pending positive identification.

The remains of Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39, of Great Mills, Maryland, have not yet been recovered, therefore is duty status-whereabouts unknown (DUSTWUN).

At the request of the family, the name of the third Soldier will not be released at this time. That pilot is also DUSTWUN.

Yeah, they look like Al Qaeda suicide terrorists to me...   

[DB]

Abject nonsense.

The Department of Army identifies two of three Army Soldiers involved in Helicopter Crash

https://www.army.mil/article/282768/the_department_of_army_identifies_two_of_three_army_soldiers_involved_in_helicopter_crash





Yeah, they look like Al Qaeda suicide terrorists to me...   

You say "abject nonsense". So you are saying you know with complete certainty?

Because you don't. Period.

You also said they were simply looking the wrong way. Well that doesn't cut it. They were flying nearly twice as high and a half mile away from where they were supposed to be. Required to be. That's isn't simply momentarily looking the wrong way. The only real question is why. And that hasn't been answered at all yet.

[mountaineer]

The person identified earlier as being the tranny Blackhawk pilot is alive and well, and (obviously) denies having anything to do with it.

Ian Miles Cheong
@stillgray
BREAKING: Jo Ellis has confirmed on FB that they aren’t the pilot being named in the Black Hawk - American Airlines crash in DC. Ellis was falsely named and reported as being involved in the crash, the cause of which currently remains the subject of speculation.
9:14 AM · Jan 31, 2025

[ChemEngrMBA]

No way this wasn't intentional.

RIIIIIIGHT.  The helicopter pilot said, "I think I'll just end my life and take out as many innocent others as possible......

PRIMARY BLAME rests with air traffic controller, who failed to divert the course of the military helicopter.
Next in line is the Blackhawk pilot who failed to respond when controller asked him "Do you see the plane?"
His Blackhawk was eminently more maneuverable than the commercial jet on short final approach. 
I have landed small aircraft many times and you are very busy watching the runway and instruments.

[Timber Rattler]

You say "abject nonsense". So you are saying you know with complete certainty?

Yes, I am saying with complete certainty that this U.S. Army aircrew did NOT deliberately ram into that commercial jet.  Period.

Because you don't. Period.

Yes, I do.

You also said they were simply looking the wrong way. Well that doesn't cut it. They were flying nearly twice as high and a half mile away from where they were supposed to be. Required to be. That's isn't simply momentarily looking the wrong way. The only real question is why. And that hasn't been answered at all yet.

Have you not listened to the radio calls between ATC and the Blackhawk, watched the radar tracking, and listened to actual military and commercial pilots discussing the flying conditions and congestion at DCA?

I swear some of the people in this thread sound exactly like the conspiracy nutcases over at Robinson's Free Russia garbage dump.

 

[mountaineer]

If anyone has watched the airline crash analysis videos on The Flight Channel (YouTube), you'd see that there have been more than a few instances over the years of rogue suicidal pilots willing to take out as many people as they can. I'm still waiting for more information before rushing to judgment on this helicopter pilot or anyone else, though.

[Timber Rattler]

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.”

Precisely!

[DB]

Yes, I am saying with complete certainty that this U.S. Army aircrew did NOT deliberately ram into that commercial jet.  Period.

Yes, I do.

Have you not listened to the radio calls between ATC and the Blackhawk, watched the radar tracking, and listened to actual military and commercial pilots discussing the flying conditions and congestion at DCA?

I swear some of the people in this thread sound exactly like the conspiracy nutcases over at Robinson's Free Russia garbage dump.

 

So you know things not in evidence. No further discussion needed.

[mystery-ak]

Fuselage needs to be removed to recover remains, official says

Crews will have to remove the fuselage from the water in order to recover the rest of the remains, authorities said Friday.

"I believe for us to recover the rest of the remains that we are going to need to get the fuselage out of the water," Fire and EMS Chief John A. Donnelly told reporters. "A lot of our operations, not all of them, but a lot of our operations today are focused on the helicopter."

So far, authorities have recovered 41 sets of remains and have identified 28 of those victims, officials said.

"Going forward with our recovery operations, search teams will continue to work the site, will do side to side sonar scanning, searching the shoreline and aerial aberrations -- our dive teams are working in targeted areas," Donnelly said.
Posted by Louis Casiano

[DB]

RIIIIIIGHT.  The helicopter pilot said, "I think I'll just end my life and take out as many innocent others as possible......

PRIMARY BLAME rests with air traffic controller, who failed to divert the course of the military helicopter.
Next in line is the Blackhawk pilot who failed to respond when controller asked him "Do you see the plane?"
His Blackhawk was eminently more maneuverable than the commercial jet on short final approach. 
I have landed small aircraft many times and you are very busy watching the runway and instruments.

That is actually not likely correct. The primary responsibility was with the helicopter pilots to avoid the commercial airline flight paths that were well established. In addition the pilots of the helicopter said they had visual of the INCOMING flight and were directed to go behind it. There should be no confusing that with an outgoing flight. The air traffic controller can be faulted for not demanding that the helicopter return to its assigned corridor which it was half a mile out of. If the traffic controller had knowledge of the elevation of the helicopter being nearly twice what it was supposed to be, they can also be blamed for not raising the alarm on that. But radar alone won't likely tell them what the helicopter's elevation was at such a low altitude. In the seconds before the  collision the helicopter increased its altitude so no one else had time to react to that. So far it is inexplicable why they did that.

[Sighlass]

So the family is asking the press not release the name of the lady killed in the helicopter?

PRIMARY BLAME rests with air traffic controller, who failed to divert the course of the military helicopter.

Not how I see it... the control tower numerous times radioed the Army and basically the helicopter replied something along the lines of "we got this, leave us alone"....

This is all on the Army crew, 100% .... and dividing blame is above my paygrade (and ability)... Was the person giving the "instructions to renew license " just lax/sleeping on his job, was the woman pilot not looking at altitude, was the instructor not paying heed to it either? Not sure what the job of the 3rd member of the helicopter was.... When talking to the FFA tower, and claiming to have visual was it both pilots decision to say that or was the woman just letting the guy make that claim (without confirming it herself)... Seems this is complicated because both pilots failed in some capacity, but does it rest more on the shoulders of the trainer or pilot .... IDK

Do I think this was a terrorist act... No, I think (so far) it was some professionals that put in a sloppy job and it cost a lot of lives.

[DCPatriot]

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

Tough sh*t!  Like that's going to happen!  It will only feed the conspiracy theories, IMO.

We deserve to know EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS WOMAN!

[mystery-ak]

American Airlines announces retirement of flight number 5342

The flight number of the flight involved in the deadly collision with a military helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday will be retired, American Airlines announced today.

"Service between Wichita, Kansas (ICT) and Washington, D.C. (DCA) is currently scheduled to operate tonight as AA5677," the airline told Fox News Digital in a statement. "Flight AA5342 will not be used for any future American Airlines flights."

Airlines typically retire a flight's number following serious incidents.
Posted by Louis Casiano

[dfwgator]

Tough sh*t!  Like that's going to happen!  It will only feed the conspiracy theories, IMO.

We deserve to know EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS WOMAN!

Do you want conspiracy theories?  Because that's how you get conspiracy theories.

[DB]

Do you want conspiracy theories?  Because that's how you get conspiracy theories.

The quickest way to get conspiracy theories is to hide things.

[Bigun]

Yes, I am saying with complete certainty that this U.S. Army aircrew did NOT deliberately ram into that commercial jet.  Period.

I guess you haven't heard of the more than a few instances where people, for reasons unknown, have intentionally killed themselves and others while sitting in the pilot seat of an aircraft.

No one here is saying definitively that's what happened here but history says it's well within the realm of possibility.

YOU @Timber Rattler are so FOS your eyes are brown!

[mountaineer]

This is a news event. Like it or not, there's no privacy. All of the Blackhawk crewmembers' names should be published.

[DB]

This is a news event. Like it or not, there's no privacy. All of the Blackhawk crewmembers' names should be published.

Yes. But not just a news event. There are 60+ dead people.

[ChemEngrMBA]

Fox News reports that the supervisor let an air traffic controller leave early the evening of the D.C. crash.

So that tells a big part of the story.  Human error at the focal point.

[Fishrrman]

Hmmm...

Was it ol' Will Shakespeare who asked "what's in a name?"

What's "in" the name of this third crew member that the family doesn't want us to hear or know...?

What would the sound of such name imply...?

Jes' wonderin' ...

[ChemEngrMBA]

I guess you haven't heard of the more than a few instances where people, for reasons unknown, have intentionally killed themselves and others while sitting in the pilot seat of an aircraft.

I only know of one, the German pilot who flew into the mountains in Europe.  Please cite, from the top of your head, "more than a few instances" for all of us.

[Hoodat]

If anyone has watched the airline crash analysis videos on The Flight Channel (YouTube), you'd see that there have been more than a few instances over the years of rogue suicidal pilots willing to take out as many people as they can. I'm still waiting for more information before rushing to judgment on this helicopter pilot or anyone else, though.

If someone wanted to create a mass casualty event, then why target a 70-seat aircraft when there are plenty of fully fueled 300+ seat aircraft taking off all around you?

[Lando Lincoln]

… There are 60+ dead people.

And that’s why the crew member’s name and service record should be public.

[MeganC]

This just in:

https://www.flightaware.com/live/flight/PAT25

The PAT25 designated helicopter flight was a common occurrence. The flights originated at Davison Army Airfield at Fort Belvoir, near Fairfax, Virginia.

The flights all ran the same weird flight path for an hour before returning to base.

Also, PAT means Priority Air Transport. In US Capitol airspace there is no way in Hell that this is anyone's training flight.

No. Way. In. Hell.

[Bigun]

I only know of one, the German pilot who flew into the mountains in Europe.  Please cite, from the top of your head, "more than a few instances" for all of us.

They are all over Youtube! Do your own damned research!

[Bigun]

If someone wanted to create a mass casualty event, then why target a 70-seat aircraft when there are plenty of fully fueled 300+ seat aircraft taking off all around you?

Not at that airport!

[Timber Rattler]

They are all over Youtube! Do your own damned research!

You were the one who made that assertion, so the burden is on you to prove it.   

[DB]

I only know of one, the German pilot who flew into the mountains in Europe.  Please cite, from the top of your head, "more than a few instances" for all of us.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_by_pilot

[Lando Lincoln]

My own opinion (basically worth a little less than a pinch of rabbit droppings), is that this is the tragic result of human error.

[MeganC]

I only know of one, the German pilot who flew into the mountains in Europe.  Please cite, from the top of your head, "more than a few instances" for all of us.

@Bigun

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EgyptAir_Flight_990

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysia_Airlines_Flight_370

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Air_Lines_Flight_350

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Air_Maroc_Flight_630

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SilkAir_Flight_185

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_Air_Botswana_ATR_42_crash

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LAM_Mozambique_Airlines_Flight_470

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_Eastern_Airlines_Flight_5735

[Bigun]

You were the one who made that assertion, so the burden is on you to prove it.   

Suicide by pilot is an aviation event in which a pilot deliberately crashes or attempts to crash an aircraft as a suicide act, with or without the intention of causing harm to passengers on board or people on the ground. If others are killed, it may be considered a type of murder–suicide.[1] It is suspected to have been a possible cause in several commercial flight crashes and has been confirmed as the cause in other instances. Determining the motives of pilots can be challenging for crash investigators, as pilots may intentionally disable recording devices or engage in other actions to impede future investigations.[2] Consequently, definitively proving pilot suicide can be difficult.[3][4]

Investigators do not classify aircraft incidents as suicides unless there is compelling evidence indicating that the pilot intended suicide. This evidence may include suicide notes, past suicide attempts, explicit threats of suicide, or a documented history of mental illness. A study conducted on pilot suicides between 2002 and 2013 identified eight cases as definite suicides,...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_by_pilot

The disturbing history of pilots who deliberately crash their own planes

[Bigun]

@Bigun

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EgyptAir_Flight_990

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysia_Airlines_Flight_370

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Air_Lines_Flight_350

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Air_Maroc_Flight_630

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SilkAir_Flight_185

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_Air_Botswana_ATR_42_crash

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LAM_Mozambique_Airlines_Flight_470

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_Eastern_Airlines_Flight_5735

Thanks @MeganC it took me all of ten seconds to find a few.

[MeganC]

Thanks @MeganC it took me all of ten seconds to find a few.

My pleasure! I enjoy doing research!

[Smokin Joe]

I guess you haven't heard of the more than a few instances where people, for reasons unknown, have intentionally killed themselves and others while sitting in the pilot seat of an aircraft.

No one here is saying definitively that's what happened here but history says it's well within the realm of possibility.

All things are possible until evidence rules them out. The Flight recorders from the plane have been recovered; combined FDR/CVR has been recovered from the Blackhawk. Comments made and flight inputs will tell the tale.

Everyone should keep in mind that there were multiple aircraft lined up on approach, and the possibility exists that the one the Helo pilots claimed to see was the wrong plane, one further back in the pattern on approach. These planes land at close intervals.

[Timber Rattler]

YOU @Timber Rattler are so FOS your eyes are brown!

[Bigun]

LOL! You are SO creative!

[Smokin Joe]

HEY! NO FIGHTING IN THE WAR ROOM!

[mountaineer]

it took me all of ten seconds to find a few.

Yes. Sadly, it's not unheard of.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_by_pilot

[DB]

HEY! NO FIGHTING IN THE WAR ROOM!

Kubrick is missed...

[DB]

All things are possible until evidence rules them out. The Flight recorders from the plane have been recovered; combined FDR/CVR has been recovered from the Blackhawk. Comments made and flight inputs will tell the tale.

Everyone should keep in mind that there were multiple aircraft lined up on approach, and the possibility exists that the one the Helo pilots claimed to see was the wrong plane, one further back in the pattern on approach. These planes land at close intervals.

Hopefully. But flying at 350' in the airport's runway corridor is the primary cause. If they had been at or below 200' like they were supposed to be looking at the wrong plane wouldn't have mattered.

[Smokin Joe]

Hopefully. But flying at 350' in the airport's runway corridor is the primary cause. If they had been at or below 200' like they were supposed to be looking at the wrong plane wouldn't have mattered.

I agree, just because they could not have collided if one of them was not there.

[DCPatriot]

This just in:

https://www.flightaware.com/live/flight/PAT25

The PAT25 designated helicopter flight was a common occurrence. The flights originated at Davison Army Airfield at Fort Belvoir, near Fairfax, Virginia.

The flights all ran the same weird flight path for an hour before returning to base.

Also, PAT means Priority Air Transport. In US Capitol airspace there is no way in Hell that this is anyone's training flight.

No. Way. In. Hell.

Priorty Air Transport for ferrying high ranking officials, but ATCs label their flight-training exercises as such.

Now if this was a Tom Clancy script/movie along with being taught the size of the rotor's nuts and bolts along with the thickness of the hull, the autopsies on the male crew members would find Ron Brown-sized bullet holes in their foreheads and the pilot's name would be Mohammad Jones.

But...it's not.   

I picture the female pilot to be the size and stature of the Secret Service DEI hire who couldn't get her firearm back in her holster after a half-dozen attempts....a stand in for Roseanne Barr.

[Luis Gonzalez]

https://x.com/kc_sportsmen/status/1884827104086212693?s=46

[Timber Rattler]

Some common sense, finally.

https://twitter.com/MrStand_Fast/status/1885330132417548724

Former Blackhawk pilot here. I’ll try to describe it for you.

Imagine you are looking at the world through toilet paper tubes, and everything is just different shades of green and black, with stars and ground lights hard to differentiate and aircraft lights that look the same as those.

Then you have 3 different radio frequencies going off in your ears.

Then you’re trying to navigate without any peripheral vision.

And you’re trying to keep the aircraft under control.

And you are trying to keep watch for all traffic, not just one plane. Because there are several in the sky at once and you’re tying to mentally keep track of all of them.

And you get distracted for like 5 seconds or your focus goes elsewhere, like you instructor pilot asking you a question about airspace regulations.

Boom. You’re all dead. Flying these machines is really tough, and the airspace and NVGs make it a heck of a lot tougher.

Also:

Not ALL Conspiracy Theories Are True

https://hotair.com/david-strom/2025/01/31/not-all-conspiracy-theories-are-true-n3799370

[DCPatriot]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rpdnAnNTCU

Just dropping this here .... for all you conspiracy nuts!      

[Wingnut]

Not ALL Conspiracy Theories Are True

To many, as of late, are. 

[DB]

By definition a theory is just a possible explanation for what was observed. Evidence eventually nails it down if there is enough available.

[Wingnut]

24 hours before the crash A British Air flight had a near miss with a military helo.  ATC com below


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huVFZ__q2rI&ab_channel=VASAviation-