Deadly Air Traffic Mistakes Revealed In Reagan National Crash: Nyt

[CRAIG NIGRELLI]

A REPORT FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES SHOWS HOW ONE FAILURE AFTER ANOTHER LED UP TO THE DEADLIEST MID-AIR CRASH IN NEARLY A QUARTER CENTURY.

ON JANUARY 29TH AT REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT, AN ARMY BLACK HAWK HELICOPTER COLLIDED WITH AN AMERICAN AIRLINES REGIONAL JET OVER THE POTOMAC RIVER, KILLING ALL 67 PEOPLE ABOARD BOTH AIRCRAFT.

ACCORDING TO THE TIMES, THE BLACK HAWK CREW, PILOTED BY CAPTAIN REBECCA LOBACH, FAILED TO FOLLOW A CRUCIAL COURSE CHANGE ORDERED BY AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL SECONDS BEFORE IMPACT. HER CO-PILOT, CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER ANDREW LOYD EAVES, ALSO WARNED HER TO TURN LEFT—BUT THE HELICOPTER NEVER CHANGED COURSE.

INVESTIGATORS FOUND THE BLACK HAWK WAS FLYING TOO HIGH—AND ENTERED THE LANDING PATH OF THE INCOMING PLANE FROM WICHITA.

COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWNS COMPOUNDED THE PROBLEM. THE TIMES REPORTS A CRITICAL INSTRUCTION FROM THE CONTROL TOWER WAS LIKELY BLOCKED—OR “STEPPED ON”—WHEN THE BLACK HAWK CREW TRANSMITTED ON THE RADIO AT THE SAME TIME, MEANING THEY MAY NOT HAVE HEARD THE FULL COMMAND TO PASS BEHIND THE JET.

THE BLACK HAWK CREW WAS OPERATING UNDER “VISUAL SEPARATION” RULES—A COMMON BUT RISKY PRACTICE PUTTING RESPONSIBILITY FOR AVOIDING OTHER AIRCRAFT ON THE PILOTS THEMSELVES. ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD, THIS METHOD HAS BEEN LINKED TO MULTIPLE DEADLY COLLISIONS IN RECENT YEARS.

KEY SAFETY SYSTEMS WERE ALSO OFFLINE. THE BLACK HAWK’S AUTOMATIC LOCATION BROADCAST SYSTEM WAS DISABLED FOR A TRAINING EXERCISE—FORCING CONTROLLERS TO RELY ON RADAR UPDATES REFRESHING ONLY EVERY FIVE TO TWELVE SECONDS.

AT THE SAME TIME, A SINGLE CONTROLLER WAS MANAGING BOTH HELICOPTER AND COMMERCIAL TRAFFIC—A ROLE USUALLY HANDLED BY TWO PEOPLE.

THE TIMES REPORTS THERE WAS AT LEAST ONE CLOSE CALL EVERY MONTH BETWEEN HELICOPTERS AND AIRPLANES NEAR REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT BETWEEN 2011 AND 2024—WITH MOST INCIDENTS HAPPENING AT NIGHT.

AFTER THE CRASH, THE FAA RESTRICTED HELICOPTER ROUTES NEAR RUNWAY 33—THE SHORTER RUNWAY INVOLVED IN THIS INCIDENT.

THE FINAL NTSB REPORT IS EXPECTED EARLY NEXT YEAR—BUT SO FAR, INVESTIGATORS SAY MULTIPLE FAILURES—ACROSS PILOT ACTIONS, CONTROLLER PROCEDURES, AND SYSTEMS—ALL CONTRIBUTED TO THE DEADLY COLLISION.

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