a few things investigators will look at: *the collision appears to have happened at around 300ft altitude *I have read the helicopters in DC airspace are restricted to below 100ft *if accurate, the helo should not have been that high *helo was flying with visual flight rules *helo had night vision goggles on board *visibility was "good" (clear skies) *one post I saw suggested the helo flew into the CRJ from behind *not sure how that's confirmed, but if accurate, could explain why the helo pilot did not see the CRJ's landing lights *moments before the collision, the Helo pilot confirmed he could see the CRJ *however, there was another CRJ taking off, in the same vicinity, it's possible that's the plane he saw so many questions, but the altitude question seems particularly pertinent, atm
Sixty-seven people are feared dead after an American Airlines jet collided with a U.S. Army helicopter and crashed into the Potomac River. https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/pl...ington-dc-01-29-25/index.html?t=1738206614132 A passenger jet carrying 64 people crashed into the Potomac River near Washington, D.C., after colliding midair with a military helicopter on a training flight while approaching Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday night. The plane was being operated as American Eagle Flight 5342 by PSA Airlines for its parent carrier, American Airlines, and had taken off from Wichita, Kan., with 60 passengers and four crew members onboard. At about 9 p.m., it collided with a U.S. Army helicopter carrying a crew of three. Early on Thursday, officials said they believed that no one had survived the collision. Rescue teams, including boats and divers, had searched the dark, frigid water overnight.
Air traffic controller audio sheds light on DC plane-helicopter crash https://www.today.com/video/air-tra...ght-on-dc-plane-helicopter-crash-230659653945
I guess we can be glad that this kind of thing is rare, despite thousands of busy close passes every day at our scores of big airports. I wonder what happened. Apparently the tower asked the helicopter, a couple of times, if they acknowledged the plane's approach.
I've always been afraid of flying, giving me anxiety through the roof. All of these recent plane incidents domestic or abroad, does not help my case one bit. RIP to these innocent souls...their last moment must've been in complete horror and Its just hard to imagine that.
It's a weird little airport. Beautiful place to land on a sunny day b/c you get a little tour of DC, but it always feels like landing in a tight little shoebox.
