The reporting of the midair collision will focus on facts and stories
What Happened When a United Airlines Jet and U.S. Helicopter Collided in Midair: The National Transportation Safety Board
According to President Donald Trump, it was the fault of the previous administration for the deadly midair collision that killed 67 people. But experts and investigators involved with the crash, which also involved a military helicopter, say the next few weeks will see investigators pore over every element of the crash, and the moments leading up to it, to determine the causes.
The National Transportation Safety Board will focus on all the things that have happened in this accident. The answers will come – but they will take time.
It’s been nearly 60 hours since an American Airlines regional jet and U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter collided in mid-air as the jet attempted to land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
The White House released a statement Thursday that criticized the Biden administration for its opposition to merit-based hiring at the FAA. Trump also ordered the FAA and the US secretary of transportation to review all of the FAA’s hires and safety protocol changes made during the four years of the Biden administration, “and to take such corrective action as necessary to achieve uncompromised aviation safety,” which might include firings.
Inman told the reporters that at least seven different working groups were made up of investigators from the federal government, as well as representatives from the military, aircraft manufacturers, and aviation professionals.
An operations group will look into the history of the accident and the crew involved. Another group will focus on the body of the aircraft, examining the wreckage and accident scenes to determine what course the aircraft traveled before the collision, including the altitude. Another will take a closer look at the engines. There are onboard pneumatic systems and electrical systems that will be examined by others. The group will look at how professionals at National Airport reacted to the incident using recordings and sensor data. Another will examine the reactions of first responders, and another will examine the helicopter in particular. A human performance group will be embedded within several of those organizations, focused on what role crew fatigue, workload, medication, equipment, and training may have played in the collision.
There was finger-pointing regarding the policies of the FAA, as well as questions about possible mistakes by the helicopter flight crew, on Thursday.
Other news outlets have focused on an apparent Federal Aviation Administration report that flagged “unusual staffing levels” at the DCA tower — noting controllers sometimes work two frequencies or cover two flight sectors. This is not a new thing at busy airports late in the evening when there are fewer flights. It’s not ideal – but isn’t necessarily dangerous.
How an airplane could change runways to avoid collisions at DCA — The case of the D.C. Aguilar-Moser jet
The pilot can decide to accept or reject the request. This flight crew accepted the change and were making what appeared to be a stable approach toward runway 33 when the collision happened.
The pilots of the regional jet were switched from one runway to another just before trying to land at DCA. It happens at airports every day and it is not unsafe.
There’s a rhythm to slotting airplanes onto busy runways. Different planes have different approach speeds. Sometimes a jet is moving too quickly or too slowly and it creates an accordion effect. When that happens, a flight controller will try to create a better sequence of arrivals.
We have learned so much in the past day that helps us understand what happened. But there’s also been plenty of speculation about routine aviation operations.
