Latest news with #ReaganInternationalAirport
New York Post
27-04-2025
- General
- New York Post
Army Blackhawk pilot in DC crash failed to heed flight instructor's command 15 seconds before deadly collision: report
The Army Blackhawk pilot involved in the Washington, DC, plane crash failed to heed her flight instructor's warning just 15 seconds before the deadly crash that killed 67 people, according to a new report. Moments before the deadly Jan. 29 crash near Reagan International Airport, Capt. Rebecca Lobach missed an order from co-pilot Andrew Eaves, who was overseeing her training mission, to change course and avoid the descending American Airlines jet, the New York Times reported. Along with the error, officials found that the pilots 'stepped on' some of the air traffic controller's instructions, meaning they accidentally cut him off when pressing the button to talk over the radio and likely missed important information. Advertisement 5 Salvage crews recover the Army Blackhawk helicopter that collided with an American Airlines flight in January, killing 67 people. Andrew Leyden/NurPhoto/Shutterstock 5 Officials found that Capt. Rebecca Lobach failed to heed her instructor's orders to change course just seconds before the collision. A key moment occurred around 8:46 p.m., when Eaves requested and received approval for the helicopter's pilots to use their own visuals instead of air-traffic control to avoid other air traffic. The move is common practice to speed things up, but of course comes with the risk of more human error. During that moment, investigators believe Eaves and Lobach failed to hear that the American Airlines plane was 'circling' because one of them was pressing the microphone key to speak to air traffic control when the word came through. Advertisement Just 20 seconds before the crash occurred, the air-traffic controller asked the helicopter if it spotted American Airlines Flt. 5342, which was coming up on Runway 33 where the chopper was approaching. 'PAT two-five, do you have the CRJ in sight?' he asked, using the abbreviation for the model of Flt. 5342's aircraft. 5 Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves and Lobach had pressed on their microphones when getting orders from air traffic control, cutting off the message and missing key information. via REUTERS Advertisement That was the last communication between the plane and the air-traffic controller. Technology on the Black Hawk that would have allowed air traffic control to better track the helicopter was also found to be turned off that day, common protocol if the training mission had been for real. But it was a practice mission involving an annual flying assessment for Robach, who was training as if top congressional officials needed to be flown from a Capitol under siege. 5 Salvage teams search the Potomac River for the plane and the bodies of its passengers. Getty Images Advertisement Brig. Gen. Matthew Braman, the Army's director of aviation, said it was clear that multiple factors contributed to the deadly 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,' he said. Aviation experts have long bemoaned the practice of allowing pilots to navigate on their own, as human error can often lead to tragedy, especially in the exceedingly busy conditions around Reagan airport. 5 Air traffic control sent a message seconds before the crash asking if the helicopter had visuals on the approaching jet. REUTERS Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has since openly criticized the long-standing practice and vowed to get rid of it as he likened it to 'threading a needle.' There was also an apparent discrepancy between two of the three Army pilots aboard the doomed chopper about what altitude they were flying at, according to investigators — and they were well above the 200-foot limit for that location. At one point before the collision, the helicopter's pilot announced that they were at 300 feet, but the instructor pilot was also heard saying the helicopter was at 400 feet, according to recordings. Advertisement At the time of the fiery crash, the Black Hawk was flying at 278 feet, National Transportation Safety Board head Jennifer Homedy said, adding, 'That doesn't mean that's what the Black Hawk crew was seeing on the barometric altimeters in the cockpit.' The Black Hawk collided with Flt. 5342, which was en route to Reagan National Airport from Wichita, Kan., just at 8:47:59 p.m., officials said. The fiery collision sent both aircraft plunging into the Potomac River, marking the deadliest US air disaster since 2001.
Yahoo
23-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Our View: Meadows Field should not be Kern's best-kept secret
It's understandable after the horrific fatal collision on Jan. 29 between an Army helicopter and a passenger airliner that people may be jumpy when they see a military aircraft using Kern County's Meadows Field Airport for training. But Meadows Field has many important roles other than simply providing residents with conveniently scheduled daily commercial flights. Training pilots — military, commercial and general aviation — is one of them. Recently a Californian reader wrote in a letter to the editor that she was concerned about what appeared to her to be unsafe military operations at Meadows Field on Feb. 26, when commercial aircraft were taking off and landing at the airport. 'First, the distant rumbling; next the deep vibration; finally, the thrilling roar of two fighter jets low altitude buzzing the runway at Meadows Field,' she wrote. 'Was that a safe time for a high-speed buzz? Did the military pilots get permission from air traffic control?' The writer contended she attempted to reach airport officials to ask these questions, but her calls were unanswered. Meadows Field is a 'controlled airport.' That means there is a control tower, where the operation of all arriving and departing aircraft is directed by air traffic controllers. So, yes, controllers certainly were aware of the military maneuvers. The controller's job is to keep all aircraft — military, commercial and general aviation — safely separated. Meadows Field's location is suitable for military and civilian flight. With a control tower, sophisticated navigation systems and two asphalt runways — one 10,855 feet long and the other 7,703 feet — Meadows Field can accommodate more air traffic than it receives today. The airport supports commercial flights, as well as charter operations, transport aircraft, general aviation aircraft and daily training exercises. While some may consider Meadows Field to be a very 'active' airport, it actually pales in comparison with others that are considered 'congested.' With so many airplanes arriving and departing those airports, the job of an air controller can be likened to threading a needle. That was the situation at Reagan International Airport in Washington, D.C., where an approaching commercial airliner collided with an Army helicopter, killing 67 people, including three soldiers aboard the helicopter. While the National Transportation Safety Board continues its investigation of the tragic incident, airport congestion and the military helicopter flying at an unauthorized elevation are among the factors being considered. Preliminary findings already have resulted in changes to military operations around Reagan International, one of the nation's most congested airports. The modern and well-equipped Meadows Field has been the location of pilot training for a century. That includes training World War II combat pilots, as well as more recently hosting centers to train pilots to fly with national and international airlines. A retired military aircraft greets travelers at the airport's entrance. To protect the safety of air travelers, as well as on people on the ground, pilots must train. The more practice, the more proficient pilots will be. Military and civilian pilots routinely use Meadows Field for flyovers, as well as touch-and-goes, which are arrivals and departures where airplanes only briefly touch the runway. On almost any given day, you can find plane watchers lining Meadows Fields' perimeters marveling at these training exercises. Meadows Field is a critical driver of Kern County's economy. Many businesses locate in Kern County based solely on the existence of a modern airport that can meet their supply and transportation needs. Airplanes representing some of nation's most recognizable transport companies regularly fly into and out of Meadows Field. Without those flights, local manufacturers could not supply the U.S. with products ranging from assembled machinery to food supplies. Every Kern County resident and business benefits from Meadows Field's existence. Airport officials must do a better job of explaining the airport's attributes. That should start with answering people's questions when they call.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
DC plane crash: NTSB demands urgent restrictions on helicopter routes near Reagan airport after crash that killed 67
The National Safety Transportation Board has found that helicopter traffic out of Ronald Reagan International Airport posed an 'intolerable risk to aviation safety by increasing the chances of a mid-air collision' ahead of a crash last month that resulted in the deaths of 67 people. 'It is stronger than an oversight,' said NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy at a news conference in Arlington, Virginia, where the DCA airport is located, on Tuesday. Sixty-seven people were killed on January 29, when an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines regional jet mid-air over the Potomac River in Washington D.C. American Airlines Flight 5342 was carrying 64 people while on its descent into Ronald Reagan International Airport from Wichita, Kansas, as three soldiers on the helicopter participated in a training mission. It's believed the service members were traveling above their 200-foot allocated air clearance and wearing night-vision goggles that could have obscured their vision. Black Hawk helicopters frequently flew along Route 4, an airway spanning from Hains Point to Wilson Bridge, before the U.S. Department of Transportation issued a restriction after the crash, which is in place until March 31st. The agency is now calling on the department to impose those restrictions indefinitely. 'As that deadline nears, we remain concerned about the significant potential for a future mid-air collision at DCA, which is why we are recommending a permanent solution today,' Homendy said. 'We believe a critical safety issue must be addressed without delay.' Through initial data analysis, investigators determined airport officials had to field one traffic collision alert per month from 2011 to 2024 due to helicopters. Over half of those instances showed helicopters may have been above the route altitude restriction. Two-thirds of the incidents occurred at night. More recently, from October 2021 through December 2024, there were 15,214 instances of close proximity events between commercial airplanes and helicopters in which there was a lateral separation distance of less than one nautical mile and vertical separation of less than 400 feet. The airport logged 944,179 flights during that time. The crash marked the first in a series of US aviation disasters at the start of the year. Two days after the incident, a medevac jet crashed in a residential and commercial area of Philadelphia, killing seven people on board, including 11-year-old Valentina Guzmán Murillo and her mother, Lizeth Murillo Osuna, 31. The pair had just left Shriners Children's Hospital Philadelphia, where Valentina spent five months receiving life-saving treatment. This is a developing story...
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Memorial service to be held for Spencer and Christine Lane
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — A memorial service is being held Sunday afternoon for 16-year-old Spencer Lane and and his mother Christine, who sadly died in January's mid-air collision in Washington D.C. The Barrington residents were on board the American Airlines plane heading back from a U.S. skating development camp in Kansas, before the collision at Reagan International Airport. The Celebration of Life Ceremony will be held at Veterans Memorial Auditorium at 2 p.m. in Providence. MORE: Barrington man remembers son, wife who were killed in DC air collision Those who want to attend today's ceremony are encouraged to wear colorful clothing. Instead of flowers or money, the Lane family is asking people to sign up for their email newsletter at where photos and other memories of Spencer and Christine will be shared. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
09-02-2025
- General
- CBS News
Crew members killed in American Airlines crash receive posthumous honors
Crew members on board the passenger jet that collided with a Black Hawk helicopter and crashed two weeks ago near Washington, D.C., have been awarded posthumous honors by the regional airline that operated their plane. American Eagle Flight 5342 plunged into the Potomac River on the night of Jan. 29, carrying 60 passengers and four crew members from Wichita, Kansas, to Reagan International Airport. The plane and military helicopter, piloted by three soldiers, struck each other in midair as Flight 5342 approached the airport's runway, causing both to go down. Everyone in both aircraft was killed. Exactly what caused the deadly collision, and how the events unfolded leading up to it, are under investigation. PSA Airlines, the regional airline that operated the American Eagle flight, announced Sunday that each crew member on board the plane has been given an honorary award considered the company's highest distinction for employees. PSA Airlines and American Eagle are regional subsidiaries of American Airlines. The crew's captain Jonathan Campos, first officer Samuel Lilley and flight attendants Danasia Elder and Ian Epstein have received the PSA Honorary President's Award, "the highest honor a PSA team member can receive," which PSA said "represents the very best of our airline." "It is a peer-nominated honor and based on the company-wide outpouring of support for our lost colleagues, we cannot think of a more moving or sincere tribute than having all 5,000 team members nominate our fallen colleagues," the airline said in a statement. Family members of Campos, Lilley, Elder and Epstein will receive commemorative certificates, the statement continued, noting PSA has "been focused on caring for the families and loved ones of all lost on that flight." The airline has also given Lilley an honorary captain's title. "Throughout his tenure at PSA Airlines, Samuel Lilley exemplified the highest standards of aviation excellence, demonstrating exceptional airmanship, unwavering dedication to safety, and extraordinary professionalism that inspired all who had the privilege of flying alongside him," said PSA. "The title of Honorary Captain reflects not only his technical expertise but also the profound impact he had on our airline family. His legacy will forever serve as a beacon of inspiration, reminding us of the dedication, skill, and integrity that define the very best in our profession."
