DC plane crash underscores concerning rise in ‘close calls' across US airports
While there are so many unanswered questions about the deadly crash in Washington, D.C. between an American Eagle plane and a military helicopter, experts are talking about the rise in close call incidents in and around airports.
In Texas, we have seen more incidents of close calls in the air and on the ground, including DFW Airport.
Dallas aviation expert Ron McCallum says the crash highlights the importance of air traffic control operators.
DALLAS - While there are so many unanswered questions about the deadly crash in Washington, D.C., experts are talking about the rise in close call incidents in and around airports.
Pilots call "near misses" a loss of separation in the air.
There could be multiple factors that cause this, like weather, miscommunication with air traffic control or the pilot being distracted.
Texas airports have seen their fair share of close calls, including some at DFW Airport.
What we know
It will take time for investigators to determine what exactly went wrong, causing a military helicopter and a commercial plane to collide near Reagan National Airport.
Officials say 67 people are presumed dead, including passengers, crew and military members. At least 28 bodies have been recovered from icy Potomac River.
It's unclear if the Black Hawk helicopter or American Eagle pilots saw each other in the final moments.
By the numbers
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has seen a concerning rise in 'near-miss incidents' across the U.S., according to a 2023 New York Times investigation. According to FAA data, it's investigated 313 close calls in the most recent yearly report available, and about a 25% increase in the last decade.
Local perspective
Ron McCallum is a Dallas-based pilot and aviation expert.
"It's known as a loss of separation for both air traffic controllers and pilots," he said. "If there's a loss of separation, whether that's vertical or horizontal, that means the two aircraft have come too close to one another and there's a problem."
In Texas, we have seen more incidents of close calls in the air and on the ground.
And in San Diego last year, two Southwest planes — one bound for Dallas — had a close call on the tarmac.
Back in 2023, while planes circled DFW Airport during bad weather, there was a close call involving three aircraft.
The same year, there was a near miss in Austin caused by an air traffic controller issue. A FedEx cargo plane was less than 200 feet from colliding with a Southwest Airlines flight.
Big picture view
With these incidents in mind, McCallum highlighted the importance of pilot awareness.
"Causality can be as simple as somebody not paying attention on a crystal clear, blue day like what tomorrow may bring, and they're simply focused on something else. Not flying or not checking the surrounding environment to make sure that even though they are not under air traffic control or a tower, they have a duty, for safety purposes, to make sure that they see and avoid other aircraft," he said. "That's the primary causal factor of loss of separation. It's not a bad weather day; it is not a an overly distracted day."
In regards to flying into Reagan National, McCallum said focus is even more critical because of how busy that flight path is with air traffic that navigates around monuments and government buildings.
"If you lose focus on any of those things or in this case, as we may find out, if there is another aircraft that is not visible to you, it's problematic, and it's dangerous," he said "D.C, is a very, very, high-workload, intense airport to fly into. And let's not forget, there are three other major airports within 20 miles of Reagan."
What's next
Operations at Reagan Airport were shut down immediately after the accident. Flights resumed Thursday morning but with significant delays both in and out of the airport.
Authorities have yet to determine the official cause of the collision.
The Source
Information in this article comes from national news coverage, aviation expert Ron McCallum, FFA data, the New York Times and previous FOX 4 reports.
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