Latest news with #SikorskyUH-60
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
NTSB looking at possible bad data, missed tower message in Army chopper's collision with jet
Feb. 14 (UPI) -- The U.S. Army Black Hawk crew possibly didn't know there was an impending collision with a American Airlines jet in Washington, D.C., that resulted in the most deadly crash in the United States in 23 years, National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Jennifer Homendy said Friday. This included bad information on the altitude from the altimeter and missed information from air traffic control, she said at a news conference in Washington. "We are looking at the possibility of there may be bad data" Homendy said. "We have a lot of work to do till we get to that." NTSB has analyzing flight data and voice transmissions from the black boxes. There was a discrepancy in the altitude of the Sikorsky UH-60. At 8:43 p.m. ET, the pilot flying indicated they were at about 300 feet, but an instructor pilot indicated they were at about 400 feet. "Neither pilot made a comment discussing an altitude discrepancy," she said. "At this time, we don't know why there was a discrepancy between the two. That's something the investigative team is analyzing." Also, the crew might not have heard a transmission from the tower that instructed them to go behind the plane because it was at 1,200 feet and circling just south of the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge. Seconds before the crash, the tower had asked the Black Hawk whether it had the airplane in sight and advised it to directly pass behind the jet, audio from the tower shows. The pilot may have keyed her radio at the same second and stepped on the transmission from air traffic control, the NTSB added. And the Black Hawk crew members were likely wearing night vision goggles throughout the flight, which would affect their vision. It is like "looking through soda straws," said Dean Winslow, a retired Air Force colonel not involved in the investigation, told NBC News. Pilots were required to wear those goggles as part of an annual training flight. Capt. Rebecca Lobach, an aviation officer since 2019 with about 500 flying hours, was undergoing the night portion of the exam. American Eagle Flight No. 5342 was preparing to land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport when it collided with the Black Hawk. Both aircraft plunged into the Potomac River at 8:47 p.m. with no survivors among the 64 aboard the jet and three in the helicopter. The Black Hawk was equipped with an advanced surveillance technology that helps the aircraft share more accurate data with air traffic controllers, known as an Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast, or ADS-B. Homendy said NTSB could not say whether it was turned off. "A lot of people are asking about was it turned off, there are other things we have to rule out first," she said. Homendy praised Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy for restricting helicopter traffic around Reagan airport after the crash.
Observer
30-01-2025
- General
- Observer
No survivors likely in Washington plane crash: Fire chief
Washington - There are likely no survivors from a collision between a passenger jet and US Army helicopter in Washington, officials said Thursday, as recovery operations pulled 28 bodies from the river into which both crashed. "At this point, we don't believe there are any survivors," Washington Fire Chief John Donnelly told a news conference at Reagan National Airport, outside the US capital. "We are now at a point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation." Donnelly said 27 bodies were recovered from the plane and one from the helicopter. A US passenger plane carrying 64 people crashed into Washington DC's chilly Potomac River after colliding mid-air with a military helicopter on a nighttime training exercise Wednesday, prompting a major emergency response and the grounding of all flights. After flying from Kansas, The plane was about to land at nearby Reagan National Airport. American Airlines, whose subsidiary operated the flight, said "There were 60 passengers and four crew members on board the aircraft." A US Army official said the helicopter involved was a Black Hawk model carrying three soldiers -- their status currently unknown. They had been on a "training flight," a separate military spokesperson said in a statement. Washington police said, "There is no confirmed information on casualties at this time." However, a massive search and rescue operation was in progress, with divers visible as they plunged into the Potomac. The Washington Post quoted unnamed sources saying police had started to pull multiple bodies from the snow-lined Potomac. Witness Ari Schulman described "a stream of sparks" and what looked like a large firework when the collision erupted overhead as he drove home. "Initially I saw the plane and it looked fine, normal. It was right about to head over land," he told CNN. "Three seconds later, and at that point, it was banked to the right... I could see the underside of it, it was lit up a very bright yellow, and there was a stream of sparks underneath it," Schulman added. "It looked like a Roman candle." President Donald Trump said in a statement that he had been "fully briefed". He said of any victims, "May God bless their souls." - Dark, near-freezing river - The Federal Aviation Administration ordered the grounding of all planes at Reagan National. Washington's police said on X that "multiple agencies" were responding to the crash site in the Potomac. Kristi Noem, the country's new secretary of homeland security, posted on X that she was "deploying every available US Coast Guard resource for search and rescue efforts in this horrific incident at DCA." Police said fireboats had joined the operation on the river, where any work was complicated by the fact it was dark and close to freezing. Dozens of fire trucks headed toward the airport. The FAA said a Bombardier regional jet operated by American Airlines subsidiary PSA Airlines "collided in midair" with a Sikorsky UH-60 helicopter as it approached for landing at Reagan at around 9:00 pm (0200 GMT). The plane had left from Wichita, Kansas. US Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas said the collision was "nothing short of a nightmare." "I ask the world to join me in praying for Kansas this evening, the first responders, rescue crews, and all those involved in this horrific accident," he wrote on X. - Crowded airspace - Questions were expected to focus on how a passenger plane with modern collision-avoidance technology and nearby traffic controllers could collide with a military aircraft over the nation's capital. However, the airspace around Washington is often crowded, with planes coming in low over the city to land at Reagan Airport and helicopters -- military, civilian, and carrying senior politicians -- buzzing about both day and night. The same airport was the scene of a deadly crash in January 1982 when Air Florida flight 90, a Boeing 737, took off but quickly plummeted, hitting the 14th Street bridge and crashing through the ice into the Potomac River. 78 people died. Investigators concluded the pilot had failed to activate sufficient de-icing procedures. The last major fatal US crash was in 2009, when Continental Flight 3407 from New Jersey to Buffalo, New York crashed and killed all 49 people aboard.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- General
- Yahoo
DC plane crash air traffic control audio reveals moment controllers saw disaster: 'Tower did you see that?'
Air Traffic Control (ATC) audio from Wednesday's collision between an Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines jet reveals the moments before and after controllers witnessed the disaster unfold. The two aircraft collided at Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, at around 9 p.m. with 60 passengers and four crew members onboard the passenger jet, while three soldiers were inside the helicopter. A massive recovery operation is underway on the Potomac River. In the air traffic control audio, a controller can be heard directing American Airlines Flight 5342 to take Runway 33. American Airlines Plane, Army Helicopter Collide Outside Reagan National Airport Near Washington Dc The AA pilot confirms he can take Runway 33 and is clear to land the aircraft, a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet, referred to as "CRJ." The controller then instructs the helicopter, an Army UH-60 helicopter Sikorsky UH-60 helicopter, referred to as "PAT25," to pass behind the jet. Read On The Fox News App "PAT25, do you have the CRJ in sight? PAT 25 pass behind the CRJ," the controller says. No response is heard on the ATC audio feed. Fox News has learned that the helicopter did respond, but on a different frequency, a frequency for helicopters. About 40 seconds later ground traffic control alerted the tower. Reagan National Airport Crash: Military Black Hawk Helicopter Collides Midair With American Airlines Jet "Tower Did you see that?" "Yup we saw it," someone from the tower says, and then the controllers begin the process of frantically diverting the flights. "Everybody hold your positions on the field right now," a female controller says. "Fire command. The accident happened in the river. Both the helicopter and the plane crashed in the river... he approached into Runway 33," she says. "All runways are closed. Nobody's landing, no one moving at all," she tells the fire command, adding that he has clearance to use all taxiways and runways for a response. "It was probably out in the middle of the river, the controller says. "I just saw a fireball and then it was just gone. I haven't seen anything since they hit the river. But it was a CRJ and a helicopter that hit, I would say about a half mile off the approach into 33," she says. At the time of the crash, Reagan National Airport reported clear skies, visibility of 10 miles and winds sustained out of the northwest at 16 mph, gusting to 26 mph. The temperature at the time was 50 degrees. The Army told Fox News Digital that the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, carrying three soldiers, was "from Bravo Company, 12th Aviation Battalion, out of Davison Army Airfield, Fort Belvoir" and was conducting a "training flight." Russian and U.S. figure skaters were on board an American Airlines flight. The collision marked the first time there has been a crash involving a U.S. commercial flight since 2009. Colgan Air Flight 3407, a flight from Newark, New Jersey, to Buffalo, New York, stalled and crashed during a landing approach near Buffalo Niagara International Airport on Feb. 12, 2009. The plane slammed into a house. Fox News' Greg Wehner and Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report. Original article source: DC plane crash air traffic control audio reveals moment controllers saw disaster: 'Tower did you see that?'
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump says Reagan National Airport crash could have been prevented: 'CLEAR NIGHT'
President Donald Trump suggested the horrific collision between an Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines jet near Reagan National Airport outside Washington, D.C., late Wednesday could have been prevented. "The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport. The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time," Trump posted on Truth Social early Thursday morning. "It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn't the helicopter go up or down, or turn. Why didn't the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane. This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!" Live Updates: American Airlines Plane, Military Helicopter Collide Near Regan National Airport In Washington, Dc According to the Federal Aviation Administration, a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet collided in midair with a Sikorsky UH-60 helicopter while on approach to Runway 33 at Reagan National Airport (DCA) around 9 p.m. local time. The jet was operating as Flight 5342 for American Airlines, and it departed from Wichita, Kansas. There were 60 passengers and four crew members aboard the American Airlines flight and three Army soldiers on the Black Hawk. Those aboard the plane included "several members" of U.S. Figure Skating, including athletes, coaches and family members who had just attended the U.S. Figure Skating Championships held in Wichita from Jan. 20 to Jan. 26. Read On The Fox News App The exact number of injuries and fatalities has not yet been confirmed. Reagan National Airport Crash: Military Black Hawk Helicopter Collides Midair With American Airlines Jet At the time of the crash, Reagan National Airport reported clear skies, visibility of 10 miles and winds sustained out of the northwest at 16 mph, gusting to 26 mph. The temperature was 50 degrees. Nearly 300 first responders deployed to the freezing Potomac River, where the wreckage of the plane lies partially submerged for search and rescue operations, but hope of finding survivors is fading. The temperature in the river was 37 degrees on Wednesday night. American Figure Skating Members, Russian Olympians Aboard Plane In Reagan National Airport Crash Vice President JD Vance took to social media Wednesday night to address the collision and urge prayer for those involved. "Please say a prayer for everyone involved in the mid-air collision near Reagan airport this evening. We're monitoring the situation, but for now let's hope for the best," he said. The National Transportation Safety Board, FAA and the U.S. Army have each launched probes into the deadly collision. Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and other officials will hold a press conference at 7:30 a.m. ET Thursday at Reagan National Airport. "Tonight, as our first responders continue their efforts, we are sending our love and prayers to the families, loved ones, and communities who are experiencing loss during this terrible tragedy," she wrote on X. The airport remains closed until 11 a.m. this morning following the nearby collision last night between an American Airlines passenger jet and an Army helicopter. "What a terrible night this has been," Trump said. "God bless you all!"Original article source: Trump says Reagan National Airport crash could have been prevented: 'CLEAR NIGHT'
