Latest news with #RonaldReaganInternationalAirport
Wales Online
01-05-2025
- General
- Wales Online
Pilot made two fatal errors in seconds before army helicopter crashed into passenger jet
Pilot made two fatal errors in seconds before army helicopter crashed into passenger jet The bombshell report into the January 29 incident at Washington DC's Ronald Reagan International Airport, which also killed the three Army personnel aboard the helicopter, claims that Captain Rebecca Lobach did not follow an order to change course. Salvage crews pull up a part of a Black Hawk helicopter near the site in the Potomac River (Image: AP ) Seconds before the catastrophic collision of a US Army Black Hawk helicopter with a domestic flight carrying 64 passengers, the pilot committed two critical errors, according to a new investigation. The explosive investigation into the accident at Washington DC's Ronald Reagan International Airport on January 29, which also resulted in the deaths of the three army personnel aboard the helicopter, indicates that Captain Rebecca Lobach failed to heed an instruction to alter her flight path. As American Airlines Flight 5342 was descending for landing just before 8:48pm, only 15 seconds later, the night sky was suddenly illuminated by a fireball above the Potomac River. The calamitous event resulted in 67 fatalities, including a group of young figure skaters. The New York Times has unearthed what is says were two chances for the disaster to be averted. Prior to the crash, the Black Hawk had been warned by air traffic control that the regional passenger jet was near. This wa acknowledged by the crew who then asked for authorisation to perform what is often considered a standard aviation procedure, reports the Mirror. (Image: Getty Images ) One of the US Army pilots requested to initiate "visual separation," which involves the crew relying on their own vision to navigate and maintain safe clearance from other aircraft instead of depending on instructions from tower controllers. This request was met with affirmation as the controller replied, "visual separation approved," a statement captured in audio recordings from the tragic event . These requests occur daily worldwide without incident; however, Capt. Lobach failed to visually separate from the incoming passenger jet. According to The New York Times, this was either because she didn't spot the plane or was unable to navigate the helicopter to a safer position. Article continues below Lobach, with 500 hours of flying experience, was over Ronald Reagan Airport for her annual Black Hawk flight evaluation when she reportedly made her first mistake while the American Airlines flight was circling to land. Her evaluator and co-pilot, Chief Warrant Officer Andrew Eaves, relayed a tower order to turn left "toward the east river bank." This would have increased the distance between the two aircraft, but Lobach allegedly failed to follow this order, and 15 seconds later, everyone on both aircraft was dead. It remains unclear why this routine move wasn't executed or why the order to move left wasn't followed, according to flight data. "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 report states. Investigators now suspect that a microphone malfunction may have prevented crucial information from reaching the cockpit of the US Army helicopter. It's possible that both the pilot and co-pilot pressed the talk button simultaneously, which would have cut off incoming audio, causing them to miss the word "circling." Jennifer Homendy, chair of the US National Transportation Safety Board, suggested this error could have resulted in an incomplete message leaving Lobach and Eaves unsure of how to move their helicopter to avoid the jet. "At 8:47:42 - or 17 seconds before impact - a radio transmission from the tower was audible on both CVRs directing the Black Hawk to pass behind the CRJ," Homendy informed reporters. Article continues below "CVR data from the Black Hawk indicated that the portion of the transmission that stated 'pass behind the' may not have been received by the Black Hawk crew." Homendy also disclosed that the pilot was being assessed on her use of night vision goggles during her annual evaluation, which investigators believe the crew had been wearing for the entire flight up until the moment of collision. The Black Hawk, which was flying higher than it should have been, also had its Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast system switched off in the minutes leading up to the collision, according to statements made by Senator Ted Cruz. This technology provides altitude and tracking data, as well as the location of other aircraft in the sky or on the runway.
Daily Mirror
28-04-2025
- General
- Daily Mirror
Bombshell report reveals key factors behind Black Hawk collision with jet that killed 67
The disaster near Washington DC's Ronald Reagan International Airport killed 64 people on board American Airlines Flight 5342 and three Army personnel on the Black Hawk helicopter A bombshell new report has revealed the fatal mistakes that caused the catastrophic collision between a US Army helicopter and a passenger plane. The disaster over the Potomach river near Washington DC's Ronald Reagan International Airport on January 29 killed 64 people on board American Airlines Flight 5342, and three Army personnel on the helicopter. The mid-air crash was deadliest incident involving an aircraft in the US since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and sparked a new wave of concern over pressures on air traffic control in the country. Now, an investigative report has found made two critical errors made by the helicopter's pilot in the moments leading up to the collision. Before the crash, air traffic control had issued Army Black Hawk pilot Capt. Rebecca Lobach and her co-pilot Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves with a warning about the close proximity of the regional passenger jet, which the crew acknowledged. They then requested to perform "visual separation," a common aviation procedure where pilots use their sight to navigate and keep their distance from other aircraft. Recordings from the incident uncovered by the New York Times reveal that the controller responded with "Visual separation approved," meaning the request was granted. However, Cpt. Lobach failed to visually separate from the incoming passenger jet. It is believed that the captain - who was on her annual Black Hawk flight evaluation with her instructor and co-pilot Mr Eaves - either did not spot the plane, or was unable to navigate the helicopter to a safer position. Then, 15 seconds before the crash, co-pilot then relayed order from the air control tower to turn left "toward the east river bank" but Capt Lobach did not follow this instruction. It remains unclear why the visual separation or the instruction to move left was not followed, and there remains "no indication" that the captain had suffered a medical event, the report found. Investigators suspect that a malfunctioning microphone may have prevented crucial information from reaching the cockpit of the US Army helicopter. This could have involved human error if the both the pilot and co-pilot simultaneously pressed the talk button, as this would have cut off incoming audio. Jennifer Homendy, chair of the US National Transportation Safety Board, this mistake may have led to the crew recieving an incomplete message, leaving them unaware of where to manoeuvre their helicopter. She told reporters: "At 8:47:42 - or 17 seconds before impact - a radio transmission from the tower was audible on both CVRs directing the Black Hawk to pass behind the CRJ. "CVR data from the Black Hawk indicated that the portion of the transmission that stated 'pass behind the' may not have been received by the Black Hawk crew." Among the victims on board the American Airlines flight were 28 members of the US figure skating community. It included former figure skating world champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, as well as promising teenage skaters Jinna Han and Spencer Lane.
Daily Record
28-04-2025
- General
- Daily Record
Report into Washington DC plane crash reveals pilot's two fatal mistakes
A new report into the horrifying collision between a passenger flight and a military helicopter has claimed the helicopter pilot made two fatal errors seconds before the impact. The tragedy on January 29 saw the two aircraft come together in mid-air near Ronald Reagan International Airport in Washington DC. All 64 passengers and crew on board the American Airlines service from Wichita, Kansas, and the three soldiers on the US Army Black Hawk helicopter were killed. The latest report has claimed that Captain Rebecca Lobach failed to comply with an order to change course . Just 15 seconds later, at around 8.48pm, the crash occurred, sending the wreckage plunging into the Potomac River below. The victims of the crash on board the plane included a team of young figure skaters and their coaches, but reports from the New York Times has revealed there were two missed opportunities to avoid it. Just beforehand, air traffic control had issued an alert to the helicopter that the passenger aircraft was nearby and circling to land, which was acknowledged by the crew before they asked permission to carry out what is usually a routine manoeuvre, the Mirror reports . One of the pilots asked to start the process of "visual separation", where the crew uses their eyesight to determine the best flight path and stay clear of other aircraft, instead of controllers in a tower. Audio recordings from the crash pick up a controller saying: "Visual separation approved." Such requests are made daily across the world without any collisions, however Lobach did not visually separate from the incoming aircraft . The New York Times suggested this was either due to not noticing the plane, or being unable to manoeuvre the helicopter to a safer position. Lobach had previously racked up 500 hours of flying time, and was carrying out her annual flight evaluation for the Black Hawk . Following her first error, her evaluator and co-pilot Chief Warrant Officer Andrew Eaves relayed a further order from air traffic control to turn left "toward the east river bank". Had the move been completed, more space would have opened up between the two, but she again did not follow the order, leading to the fatal crash . Flight data is still unable to show why it was not executed. The report claims: "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." Investigators now believe that the Black Hawk's on-board microphone could have malfunctioned and prevented important information from coming through to the cockpit. Both the pilot and co-pilot could have pressed the button to speak at the same time, which would have cut out incoming audio, in particular the word "circling". Jennifer Homendy, chair of the US National Transportation Safety Board, said this mistake suggested that the incomplete communication could have left Lobach and Eaves unable to see where to pilot the helicopter to avoid a collision. She told reporters: "At 8:47:42 - or 17 seconds before impact - a radio transmission from the tower was audible on both CVRs directing the Black Hawk to pass behind the CRJ. "CVR data from the Black Hawk indicated that the portion of the transmission that stated 'pass behind the' may not have been received by the Black Hawk crew ." She also explained that the pilot, as well as her annual evaluation , was being tested on her use of night vision goggles, which were believed to have been worn by the whole crew for the entire flight. The helicopter, which was also flying higher than it should have been, saw its Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast system switched off just before the crash , according to statements from Senator Ted Cruz. The system relays altitude and tracking data, in addition to the location of other aircraft in the sky or below on runways.
Daily Mirror
28-04-2025
- General
- Daily Mirror
Pilot made two deadly mistakes moments before plane crash that killed 67 people
The US Army helicopter collided with a passenger plane on January 29 in Washington DC, killing 67 people in one of the deadliest plane crashes in recent history Seconds before a US Army Black Hawk helicopter crashed into a domestic flight carrying 64 passengers, the pilot made two fatal mistakes, a new report has claimed. The bombshell report into the January 29 incident at Washington DC's Ronald Reagan International Airport, which also killed the three Army personnel aboard the helicopter, claims that Captain Rebecca Lobach did not follow an order to change course. Just 15 seconds later as American Airlines Flight 5342 came into land, shortly before 8.48pm, a fireball lit the sky over the Potomac River. The crash claimed the lives of 67 people in total, including a team of young figure skaters, but New York Times reporting has revealed that there were two opportunities for it to be avoided. Shortly before, the Black Hawk had received an alert from air traffic controllers that the regional passenger jet was nearby, which the crew acknowledged before requesting permission to conduct what is usually a routine aviation manoeuvre. One of the US Army pilots asked to begin "visual separation," a practice in which the crew uses their eyesight to determine the best path and keep their distance from other aircraft, rather than the controllers in the tower. 'Visual separation approved,' the controller can be heard saying in response on audio recordings from the incident. These requests happen every day around the world without causing collisions; however, Cpt. Lobach failed to visually separate from the incoming passenger jet. The New York Times indicated that this was either because she did not spot the plane, or was unable to pilot the helicopter to a safer position. Lobach, who had accrued 500 hours of flying time, was flying over Ronald Reagan Airport as part of her annual flight evaluation for the Black Hawk, when was reported to have made this first mistake while the American Airlines flight was circling to land. Then her evaluator and co-pilot, Chief Warrant Officer Andrew Eaves, relayed an order from the tower to turn left "toward the east river bank." This would have created more space between the two aircraft, but Lobach was aid to have failed to follow this order and 15 seconds later, everyone on both aircraft was dead. It is still unclear why this routine manoeuvre was not executed, or why the order to move left was not followed, according to flight data. "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 report claims. Instead, investigators now believe that a microphone malfunction could have obstructed key information from entering the cockpit of the US Army chopper. Both the pilot and co-pilot might have simultaneously pressed the button to talk, which cuts out incoming audio, and so failed to hear the word "circling." Jennifer Homendy, chair of the US National Transportation Safety Board, said this error suggested that the incomplete message could have left Lobach and Eaves unable to see where to move their helicopter to avoid the jet. "At 8:47:42 - or 17 seconds before impact - a radio transmission from the tower was audible on both CVRs directing the Black Hawk to pass behind the CRJ," Homendy told reporters. "CVR data from the Black Hawk indicated that the portion of the transmission that stated 'pass behind the' may not have been received by the Black Hawk crew." She also revealed that the pilot, alongside her annual evaluation, was being tested on her use of night vision goggles, which investigators believe the crew had been wearing for the entire flight up to the moment of impact. The Black Hawk, which was also flying higher than it was meant to, also saw its Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast system switched off in the minutes before the collision, according to statements by Senator Ted Cruz. This technology relays altitude and tracking data, as well as the location of other aircraft in the sky or on the runway.
The Independent
11-03-2025
- Health
- The Independent
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 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 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 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.
