DC plane crash; retired Black Hawk pilot weighs in
The Brief
Authorities have yet to determine the official cause of the passenger jet and Army Black Hawk helicopter collision over the Potomac River.
There were no survivors among the 67 people on board an American Airlines passenger jet and a military helicopter.
A retired Wisconsin National Guard pilot who has flown a Black Hawk helicopter weighed in on the fatal incident.
WEST BEND, Wis. - There were no survivors among the 67 people on board an American Airlines passenger jet and a military helicopter, which collided midair over Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night, Jan. 29.
What we know
Authorities have yet to determine the official cause of the passenger jet and Army Black Hawk helicopter collision over the Potomac River. It is considered the worst U.S. aviation disaster in almost 24 years.
What we don't know
There are a lot of unanswered questions, but one many might be turning to now is how did this happen?
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Local perspective
After serving for 39 years as a pilot with the Wisconsin National Guard, Bill Richey knows the ins and outs of what it takes to fly a Black Hawk helicopter. Like many people across the world, Richey said the plane crash in D.C. came as a major shock.
"To have something like this happen – it's kind of a big surprise," Richey said. "The crews that operate in that environment in D.C., if you are a pilot in command, and that's a pretty high designation. Those guys are pretty top-notch to fly in that environment because their responsibility is huge."
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Richie said the three soldiers who died in the crash were very high in the ranks. In addition, they were also on a helicopter that flies high-ranking people from the Pentagon and Congress.
"To fly in that environment – those guys go through pretty significant training," he said.
While the National Transportation Board works to figure out how this happened, Richey hopes it doesn't happen again.
The Source
The information in this post was produced by FOX6 News and utilized prior FOX coverage of the crash.
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