The aviation world is struggling to understand how a deadly mid-air collision between a passenger plane and military helicopter was able to happen in what one expert described as “the most controlled bit of airspace in the world”.
A US Army Black Hawk helicopter with a crew of three collided with an American Airlines jet carrying 64 people seconds before the passenger aircraft was due to land at Washington National airport. Both aircraft were sent careering into the icy Potomac River on Wednesday night.
The exact cause of the crash remains unknown. Officials will release a preliminary report within 30 days, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) – which is leading the investigation.
Todd Inman, part of the five-member NTSB board, said on Thursday that the agency had not yet recovered flight data recorders – known as the black boxes – but they are “confident” they will be able to retrieve them from the water.
Airspace over the District of Columbia is heavily restricted to protect both national security and the buildings that house core aspects of US government. Commercial planes are prevented from flying over the Pentagon, the White House and other historic landmarks.
Yet the area sees a lot of air traffic, Aviation attorney Jim Brachle, who has handled numerous litigation matters related to jets and Reagan airport, told the BBC. “You got these really narrow pathways in and out and you’ve got a lot of congestion and extra airplanes, so you’re putting a lot of aircraft in a really confined space,” he said.
The helicopter pilot indicated he had the airplane in sight and was going to visually separate from it – and then the accident happened shortly thereafter – so there’s going to be a lot of questions about exactly what did the helicopter pilot see, said Jeff Guzzetti, a former aircraft accident investigator for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the NTSB.
Mr Inman with the NTSB said that DC is also a “unique environment” because of helicopters and specific zones they’re allowed to fly. If you look at DC, you see a lot of helicopters going down into this area so there’s a very well-defined system in that regard, he said.
Mr Brachle, who has handled numerous litigation matters related to jets and Reagan airport, told the BBC the question that remains is how two aircraft ended up in the same airspace. “What’s really unique about Reagan is right there on the river. There’s also a helicopter route that crosses right through that final approach and that’s at or below 200 feet,” he said.
Aviation consultant Philip Butterworth-Hayes said the incident occurred at the “nexus of different aviation systems”, including civilian and military systems, as well as procedures specific to the airport. You are at the border of three or four aviation systems here – and it’s at those borders where most accidents tend to happen, he added.
The last fatal crash involving a commercial plane in the US was in February 2009. Officials and experts alike have stressed that this type of incident is incredibly rare due to tight safety restrictions on all types of flights.
Footage obtained from an air traffic control source by CBS News, the BBC’s US news partner, showed the two aircraft which appear to have been involved in the crash clearly visible on radar systems accessible to controllers.
Audio sourced by BBC News appears to confirm the helicopter was in contact with air traffic control on the ground at the airport. The helicopter was asked if it had the passenger plane “in sight” and to “pass behind” it. In the audio that follows, controllers appear to realise there has been a collision and can be heard directing other planes in the air to neighbouring airports.
The Black Hawk helicopter was part of B Company, 12th Aviation Battalion. It left Fort Belvoir, a military base in Virginia, and was taking part in a training exercise.
US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth has said the helicopter’s crew were “fairly experienced” and taking part in an annual night flight training session.
Speaking to CNN, Cedric Leighton – a retired US Air Force colonel – said it was normal for that type of military aircraft to be training at night in the area, particularly to make sure pilots are proficient with using instruments needed to fly in the dark.
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