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Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Black Hawk Helicopter Pilot in D.C. Plane Crash Was Not in Medical Distress: Report
A new investigation into the American Airlines crash conducted by found that the crew aboard the Army Black Hawk helicopter was not suffering from any impairment "There is no indication that [Capt. Rebecca Lobach] was suffering from health issues at the time or that a medical event affected her during those final moments," the report stated American Airlines flight 5342 was preparing to land in Washington, D.C., when the military aircraft collided with the plane A new report into the Jan. 29 midair collision between an American Airlines passenger jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter found that the captain who was flying the military aircraft was not impaired. The New York Times — using dozens of records and interviews with aviation experts — reported in an April 27 investigative story that while there is still no answer as to exactly why the crew on board the Black Hawk continued flying toward the airplane, they were not medically impaired. "There is no indication that [Capt. Rebecca Lobach] was suffering from health issues at the time or that a medical event affected her during those final moments aboard the Black Hawk, according to friends and people familiar with the crash investigation, which included autopsies and performance log reviews," the outlet reported. Related: D.C Plane Crash Investigation Explained: All the Answers to Your Key Questions The newspaper also reported that it appeared several mistakes were made by the Black Hawk crew, which also included Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves and Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O'Hara. "Some of the controller's instructions were 'stepped on' — meaning that they cut out when the helicopter crew pressed a microphone to speak — and important information likely went unheard," the Times reported. The outlet reported that Lobach failed to follow a direction from the co-pilot, an Army flight instructor, to change course. Additionally, one feature that would allow controllers to better track the helicopter had been turned off, due to Army protocol, which called for pilots to turn off the setting when practicing how to secretly fly government officials. Related: Figure Skaters, Moms and an Engaged Pilot: What We Know About the D.C. Plane Crash Victims So Far The Times also reported aviation experts believe that the controller did not issue "clear, urgent instructions to the Black Hawk to avert the crash." The Federal Aviation Administration told the Times in a statement that it could not discuss "any aspect" of the still-ongoing investigation, which is being led by the National Transportation Safety Board. The NTSB added that it would release their final report on the causes of the crash by early 2026. Brig. Gen. Matthew Braman, the Army's director of aviation, also told the outlet that he believes investigators will find that a number of things contributed to the fatal crash. 'I think what we'll find in the end is there were multiple things that, had any one of them changed, it could have well changed the outcome of that evening," Braman said. Just before 9 p.m. on Jan. 29, the American Airlines flight 5342 was preparing to land in Washington, D.C., after a trip from Wichita, Kansas, when the military aircraft collided with the plane near Reagan National Airport. The fiery crash sent both aircrafts plummeting into the Potomac River, and 67 people were killed in the historic disaster. A number of factors that may have contributed to the crash were already known prior to the Times' report. Related: Second-by-Second Timeline of D.C. Plane Crash Revealed, Questions Remain About What Helicopter Pilots Heard and Saw Officials said the helicopter was flying far too high during a routine night mission and had been twice warned about the jet, which was instructed just a few minutes before landing to switch runways. NTSB member Todd Inman told reporters on Feb. 1 that air traffic control twice alerted the helicopter to the larger passenger jet, including about two minutes before the collision, when the helicopter was told that the plane would be landing at Runway 33. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Air traffic control staffing levels were also reportedly lower than they normally would have been. And at the last second, the passenger plane pulled up — as though trying to avert catastrophe. One controller was handling both plane and helicopter traffic, rather than two people dividing the job, because someone left early, according a previous report from the Times. Additionally, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth previously said that the helicopter had night vision goggles with them on what he called an 'annual proficiency training flight.' These goggles may have impaired their vision at a well-lit airport such as Reagan. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Safety board calls to end helo flights on route of fatal DC crash
The National Transportation and Safety Board has concluded that the separation distances allowed between helicopter and airplane traffic on the route where an Army helicopter and a commercial passenger jet collided midair on Jan. 29 near Washington 'pose an intolerable risk to aviation safety,' according to its preliminary investigation report released Tuesday. As a result, the NTSB is recommending helicopter flights be immediately prohibited on 'Route 4″ — where the fatal crash occurred — between Hains Point and the Wilson Bridge along the Potomac River when planes are landing or taking off on runways 15 and 33 at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). The board is also recommending an alternative helicopter route between Hains Point and the Wilson Bridge when that segment of Route 4 is not open to rotary-wing traffic. The on-scene investigation of the collision between the American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas, and a UH-60 Black Hawk over the Potomac River concluded Feb. 14 When the aircraft collided, the fuselage of the commercial jet broke apart in three places and was discovered inverted in waist-deep water in the Potomac. The helicopter wreckage was found nearby. All 64 people aboard the passenger jet and all three Army crew members aboard the Black Hawk — Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, Cpt. Rebecca M. Lobach and Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O'Hara — were killed. Meanwhile, the investigation continues off-site in various labs and other secure locations, according to Jennifer Homendy, NTSB chair. The preliminary report lays out what happened but not how or why the crash happened, Homendy said in a briefing Tuesday. 'For this investigation, we're reviewing airport operations and prior incidents, including near midair collision events,' Homendy said, using information from voluntary safety reporting programs and the Federal Aviation Administration. That data shows that from 2011 through 2024, a 'vast majority' of reported incidents occurred on approach to landing, and initial analysis found that at least one Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System, or TCAS, Resolution Advisory was triggered per month at DCA due to a helicopter's proximity, Homendy said. Unlike traffic advisories, which are issued when an intruding aircraft is about 20 seconds or 0.3 nautical miles from the closest point of approach, TCAS resolution advisories signal a collision threat and require immediate action, Homendy said. In over half of the encounters from 2011 to 2024, the helicopter may have been flying above the route altitude restriction, which is limited to a ceiling of 200 feet above the ground, Homendy said. Two-thirds of the events happened at night. From October 2021 through December 2024, there were 944,179 commercial operations at DCA with 15,214 'close proximity events' between commercial planes and helicopters 'in which there was a lateral separation distance of less than one nautical mile and vertical separation of less than 400 feet,' Homendy said. Of those 15,214 events, there were 85 very close calls involving lateral separations of less than 1,500 feet and less than 200 feet of vertical separation, according to Homendy. Through evaluation of the crash, the NTSB found that the Black Hawk was not flying in the very limited area it should have been flying near DCA. 'At the maximum altitude here of just 200 feet, a helicopter operating over the eastern shoreline of the Potomac River would have just 75 feet of vertical separation from an airplane approaching runway 33,' Homendy said. Following the accident, the U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy immediately restricted helicopter traffic from operating over the Potomac River at DCA until March 31. 'As that deadline nears, we remain concerned about the significant potential for a future midair collision at DCA, which is why we are recommending a permanent solution today,' Homendy noted. Homendy acknowledged that fully closing Route 4 between Hains Point and the Wilson Bridge when runways 15 and 33 are in use would restrict a key aviation corridor for Coast Guard patrols, law enforcement and government operations. However, she noted that requiring controllers to hold helicopters north or south of DCA during those times could also add to controllers' workload and increase risk. To that end, NTSB is recommending the FAA establish an alternative helicopter route between Hains Point and the Wilson Bridge when that segment of Route 4 is closed. Although the preliminary report is out, Homendy said her team 'has a lot of work to do,' including simulations, visibility studies and additional interviews related to helicopter operations and air traffic control. When asked in the briefing whether the NTSB would call the resulting crash an oversight, Homendy said, 'I mean, it's stronger than an oversight, right? … The data we have pulled is from a voluntary safety reporting system that FAA could have used anytime. That data from October 2021 through December 2024, they could have used that information any time to determine that we have a trend here and a problem here and looked at that route. 'That didn't occur, which is why we're taking action today, but unfortunately, people lost lives and loved ones are grieving.'
New York Times
31-01-2025
- New York Times
The Army has identified two of the three helicopter crew members who died in the crash.
The Army on Friday released the names of two aviators who were killed when their Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines regional jet on Wednesday night. But in an extraordinary step, the Army did not identify the third crew member, citing her family's request for privacy. Typically, the names of service members killed during a peacetime accident or in combat zones are made public about 24 hours after their relatives have been notified. It is highly unusual for the military to withhold the name of a soldier killed while on duty. 'At the request of the family, the name of the third soldier will not be released at this time,' the Army said in a news release, adding that the soldier's remains had not yet been recovered. The two pilots that the Army identified were Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O'Hara, 28, of Lilburn, Ga., and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39, of Great Mills, Md. Officer Eaves's remains also have not been recovered, according to the release. It is unclear what motivated the third pilot's family to ask that her name not be released. But the request comes as President Trump, without citing any evidence and before the investigation is completed, has blamed the Black Hawk helicopter crew for the midair disaster that killed 67 people.
Bloomberg
31-01-2025
- Bloomberg
Pentagon Identifies Two of Three Helicopter Crew Killed in Crash
The Pentagon identified two of the three US soldiers killed when their UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter collided with a commercial airliner, but withheld the name of the third at the request of the victim's family. The two identified soldiers were named as Chief Warrant Officer Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39, of Great Mills, Maryland, and Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O'Hara, 28, of Lilburn, Georgia, according to an Army statement. The third pilot's name 'will not be released at this time,' it said.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
U.S. Army withholds name of one Black Hawk soldier killed in D.C. collision
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Army on Friday made a highly unusual decision at the request of the family not to release the name of one of the three soldiers killed when a military Black Hawk collided with a passenger jet on Wednesday evening. The Army identified two of the soldiers killed as Staff Sergeant Ryan Austin O'Hara and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, but did not provide details about the third. Reuters had reported on Thursday that the crew of the Black Hawk involved in the deadly crash with an American Airlines regional passenger jet included two male soldiers and one female soldier. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. "At the request of the family, the name of the third Soldier will not be released at this time," an Army statement said. President Donald Trump has suggested, without evidence, that the deadly midair collision was the result of the Federal Aviation Administration's efforts to hire a more diverse workforce. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, while at the White House speaking about the crash on Thursday, also took aim at diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the military and government.
