Tragic mid‑air crash: Black Hawk and plane collide in D.C.
An investigation is ongoing into the causes of the collision between a passenger plane and a military helicopter at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. According to investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), a malfunction in the altimeter of the military Black Hawk may have contributed to the tragedy.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy reported that the collision occurred at an altitude of about 278 feet, while the helicopter should not have exceeded 200 feet. She stated that it is unclear whether the military helicopter's altimeters were displaying the correct measurements to the pilots.
She added that investigators "are seeing conflicting information in the data" from the flight recorders and other evidence. The military helicopter pilots may not have fully heard some radio communications from the air traffic controllers.
Homendy stated that the crew of the American Airlines plane saw the helicopter about a second or two before the collision. The pilots raised the aircraft's nose by about nine degrees just before the collision, but the action was too late.
Air disaster in Washington. all perished
At the end of January, a passenger plane flying from Kansas collided with a military helicopter on a training flight. The incident occurred just before the tarmac of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
On board the American Airlines plane were 60 passengers and 4 crew members. In the helicopter were three soldiers. Both aircraft plunged into the Potomac River, breaking into many pieces. No one survived.
