Wichita airport sets up memorial for DC plane crash victims
A table set up next to the escalators in the airport is filled with flowers, sticky notes, and markers for people to leave messages.
A Wichita woman checking in at the airport for her flight on Friday morning told KSN News that she hopes the memorial comforts families.
'Hopefully, it will be shown to the families that we do care, in a situation like that, support, love, prayer,' Teresa Haeel, traveler, said. 'My biggest hope is that they are all surrounded by people who love them and who are praying for them.'
Civil rights attorney from Wichita victim of plane crash in DC
The Wichita Foundation also started an ICT Together fund to help victims' families. If you would like to donate to ICT Together, go to ICT-together.org. If your donation exceeds $5,000, email meghan@wichitafoundation.org or call 316-264-4880.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
a day ago
WWII veterans visit Omaha Beach to mark 80th anniversary of D-Day
American Airlines flew 68 World War II veterans to France to remember the fateful day. June 5, 2024
Epoch Times
3 days ago
- Epoch Times
7 Revelations From Transport Safety Board's Hearings Into DC's Deadly Midair Collision
Critical data, reports, and interviews revealed more insight into how the crash occurred. A helicopter flies near the crash site of the American Airlines plane on the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Va., on Jan. 30, 2025. A helicopter flies near the crash site of the American Airlines plane on the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Va., on Jan. 30, days of 'fact-finding' hearings into a catastrophic crash between an Army Black Hawk helicopter and a commercial jet concluded on Aug. 1, with new information shedding light on the events leading up to the collision near Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington earlier this year. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), an independent agency tasked with investigating transportation accidents, has led the probe into the disaster, releasing preliminary reports in the months since the crash. The agency's final report, which will reveal the probable cause of the accident, is expected next year. Story continues below advertisement The three-day 'fact-finding' hearings hosted by the NTSB revealed critical details about the incident, including inconsistent altitude readings on the helicopter, persistent staffing issues at Reagan National Airport's air traffic control tower, and criticisms over the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) response to the disaster. Crew Had Inconsistent Readings While the NTSB had already determined earlier this year that the helicopter was above its 200-foot maximum allowed altitude for its route along the Potomac River, new details this week revealed that its crew Here are seven revelations from the NTSB's hearings into the midair the NTSB had already determined earlier this year that the helicopter was above its 200-foot maximum allowed altitude for its route along the Potomac River, new details this week revealed that its crew was operating with incorrect altitude data. The Sikorsky Black Hawk was equipped with a radio altimeter and a barometric altimeter. The first, which uses radio waves to determine altitude, is considered more accurate. However, panelists at the hearing on Wednesday said the crew was trained to use the barometric altimeter, which uses barometric pressure to determine distance from the ground. Story continues below advertisement Throughout its flight, the crew called out elevations to air traffic control that were roughly 80 to 100 feet lower than what their radio altimeter was recording, the NTSB said. Struggled to Hear Air Control Roughly two weeks after the collision occurred, the NTSB Investigators also tested three other helicopters of the same model after the collision and recorded similar discrepancies between the two altimeters, with the differences in altitude increasing when the rotors were two weeks after the collision occurred, the NTSB announced that the helicopter crew likely did not hear a critical air traffic control instruction in the moments before the crash. According to the aircraft's cockpit voice recorder data, the controller's instruction to 'pass behind' the CRJ700 jet was 'stepped on' when the crew engaged a microphone. However, that was not the only time the crew struggled to hear air traffic control. Story continues below advertisement At one point, the pilot asked her instructor if the control tower's audio was muffled. Then her instructor said after another exchange that he 'definitely didn't catch' what was said, and told the pilot, 'I'm glad you did.' Chair Rips Into FAA Jennifer Homendy, chairwoman of the NTSB, did not hold back this week when grilling officials from the FAA. Details emerged that a working group of air traffic controllers had suggested changes to the helicopter routes near Washington in 2022, but were told the addition of new collision risk areas, including to the helicopter route implicated in the crash, was 'too political.' Homendy ripped into the FAA, criticizing its response to the disaster as overly bureaucratic. Story continues below advertisement 'You know what FAA did after the accident … you transferred people out, instead of taking ownership over the fact that everybody in FAA in the tower was saying there was a problem,' she said. 'Are you kidding me? Sixty-seven people are dead. How do you explain that?' 'Fix it; do better,' Homendy added. Helicopter Not Using Location Tech A key location transmitting technology, known as ADS-B Out, was not engaged on the helicopter at the time of the crash. The Army has a policy of disabling the tracking technology during certain flights in the Washington area, including on sensitive or classified missions with commander approval. Story continues below advertisement It wasn't previously known if the Black Hawk crew had chosen to leave the technology off or if it was inoperable during the flight. NTSB investigators determined that the ADS-B Out systems on the Army's fleet of older Black Hawk helicopters were not working due to a time-setting issue. While the army has purchased new ADS-B systems to upgrade its fleet, it's not clear if using the technology would have helped avoid the crash. Testimony on Friday indicated that the CRJ700 jet did not have ADS-B In, which is needed to receive ADS-B Out signals. Story continues below advertisement Since the crash, the FAA has mandated that all aircraft use ADS-B In and Out. On Tuesday, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) introduced legislation that would mandate it on all aircraft. Chronic Staffing Issues at Tower While The Epoch Times has previously reported on the nationwide shortage of air traffic controllers since the years following the COVID-19 pandemic, new details this week revealed that the control tower at Reagan National Airport was The military would have to request an exemption to turn it off if Cruz's bill gets signed into The Epoch Times has previously reported on the nationwide shortage of air traffic controllers since the years following the COVID-19 pandemic, new details this week revealed that the control tower at Reagan National Airport was chronically understaffed FAA Deputy Chief Operating Officer Nick Fuller defended the staffing levels and suggested the control tower was nearly fully staffed on the night of the collision. Story continues below advertisement However, a contractor hired by the FAA to conduct compliance verifications at the airport's control tower said it had 'always been on the lower number of staffing, not necessarily healthy.' He said the staffing was a 'concern,' but was rebuffed when calling for adding another operations manager and staff specialist to assist with the tower's workload. An NTSB investigator also criticized the FAA for overworking its controllers with a 'just make it work' mentality when fewer workers are available for high-demand tasks. American Airlines Boosted Flights The NTSB revealed that American Airlines had been increasing its number of flights during specific times within the hour, a practice known as 'front loading' and 'back loading.' Clark Allen, who was operations manager at Reagan National Airport when the accident occurred, said it was a concern for air traffic control. Story continues below advertisement Conversations were conducted between the control tower and the airline's scheduling team to address the schedule. Eric Silverman, who is an air traffic control and airfield operations manager for American Airlines, said the scheduling increase happened in early 2022, and 'then we made changes where we could within the FAA-mandated slot program.' Robert Clifford, the attorney representing family members of the crash victims, criticized American Airlines for the flight load. 'The evidence presented thus far reveals that American Airlines' actions to maximize [Reagan National] arrival rates and hourly operations that help drive its profits directly led to flight 5342 being switched from the runway one approach to the higher risk runway 33 approach where the runway was shorter and helicopter route 4 intersected the approach path,' Clifford told The Epoch Times. 'This put all 67 people into a perilous and disastrous collision course.' Story continues below advertisement American Airlines did not respond to a request for comment by publication time. FAA Allegedly Knew About Risks The NTSB alleged that the FAA had known for years about serious safety risks in the airspace around Reagan National Airport, especially with the inclusion of military aircraft flights. 'Every sign was there that there was a safety risk, and the tower was telling you that,' Homendy said. Rick Dressler, an aviation site manager for Metro Aviation Inc. and a former Army aviator and retired Air Force officer, said his community was particularly concerned whenever the 12th Aviation Battalion was operating in the Washington airspace. That is the same battalion that was operating the Black Hawk helicopter on the night of the crash. Story continues below advertisement 'I don't like saying that [the] 12th aviation battalion gives us all pause in the community,' Dressler said. 'We are all very uncomfortable' whenever that battalion is operating in the area, he added. The Army did not respond to a request for comment by publication time.
CBS News
3 days ago
- CBS News
Key takeaways from 3-day hearing on deadly D.C. midair collision
Over the course of three days of investigative hearings, the National Transportation and Safety Board sought to gather more information about the factors that lead to the deadly midair collision over Washington, D.C., in January between an Army helicopter and a passenger plane. The NTSB heard testimony from air traffic controllers, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Army, and the families of several of the victims attended. At one point on the first day of the hearings, NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said of the circumstances leading up to the crash, "Every sign was there that there was a safety risk." Addressing the families, she said the hearings would be "a critical part of our ongoing investigation." On Jan. 29, a Black Hawk helicopter struck an American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas, as it was coming in for a landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport, killing all 67 people aboard both aircraft. The NTSB will continue its fact finding and will compile a final report with determinations about the probable cause, likely within the next year. Here are the top takeaways from the hearings: The barometric altimeter the Black Hawk crew members were relying on may have given them incorrect information, according to NTSB investigators, because the crew was calling out altitudes that were lower than the actual height at which the helicopter was flying. The helicopter and commercial airliner collided approximately 300 feet above the Potomac River, and the maximum altitude for helicopters at that part of the route near D.C.'s Reagan Airport is 200 feet. The NTSB, as part of its investigation, tested three helicopters that are in the same battalion as the one that crashed and found that the barometric altimeter for all three was off by 80 to 130 feet. Army representatives on Wednesday told investigators that discrepancy is within the accepted variability because pilots are trained to maintain their altitude at plus or minus 100 feet. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy told CBS News' senior transportation correspondent Kris Van Cleave the NTSB calculated the margin of error on Route Four in that area of the Potomac to be 75 feet. The Army said it is conducting additional reviews to determine how to proceed, frustrating investigators who asked why it would not make changes to the equipment, based on the findings of the NTSB tests. In 2022, an FAA working group considered moving helicopter traffic away from the airport, but ultimately did not. Transcripts from the airplane's cockpit voice recorder show the pilots received an automated verbal warning about traffic in the vicinity approximately 20 seconds before the collision. Less than two seconds before impact, the pilots shouted in alarm. Flight data indicates the plane's pilots attempted to climb to avoid the helicopter just before impact. The transcripts also reveal the pilots of the American Airlines flight questioned the move to Runway 33. The plane was originally supposed to land on Runway 1 but was redirected by air traffic controllers to Runway 33. As it was trying to land on that runway, the helicopter and plane collided. The pilots of the Black Hawk missed a key word when communicating with the air traffic control tower, according to a transcript released during the hearings of the conversation between the helicopter crew and the control tower. Fifteen seconds before the collision, DCA Tower asked the helicopter if it had the regional jet in sight. Four seconds later, the DCA Tower instructed the helicopter to pass behind the plane. The Black Hawk's cockpit voice recorder indicated that the phrase "pass behind" was rendered inaudible because a helicopter crew member pressed the microphone key. Although it was already known — based on control tower audio from that night — that the controller did not warn the American Airlines plane that the Black Hawk might cross its path, the FAA only openly acknowledged this for the first time during this week's hearings. In a key moment from the second day, Homendy asked FAA Air Traffic Oversight Service executive director Nick Fuller if any traffic advisories or alerts were issued to the plane. He responded, "No safety alerts." Homendy then asked, "Should the local controller have let the [plane] crew know that there was a helicopter there?" "Yes," Fuller responded. Rick Dressler, of Metro Aviation – which operates medical helicopters — was asked if there are units flying in the National Airport airspace that make him uncomfortable. "I don't like saying that first heli of [U.S. Air Force] from Andrews (Air Base) and I don't like saying that 12th Aviation Battalion gives us all pause in the community…," Dressler said, but "we are all very uncomfortable when those two units are operating." During the hearing, the Army admitted helicopters regularly flew below flights that land at Reagan National Airport.
