re: Looks like a plane hit a Helicopter at DCA airport

It looked like it came from back right/left. More from the side but still at an angle Im not sure the pilots could have seen.

quote:

---

Yeah, it’s possible ATC is responsible, but even in that case, both sets of pilots are at fault, because they were in VMC (not in clouds), and regardless of the fight rules, pilots in VMC are responsible for maintaining separation from other aircraft.

In this case,however, the lion’s share of the blame would be on the controllers. This is the least likely scenario, though. More likely is a mistake by the helicopter pilots, and a little blame on the airline pilots for not seeing the helicopter (I’s sympathize with them, though, because when on a glideslope your going through checklists).

---

Excellent post here. Checklists hold a lot of attention in the cockpit of aircraft. I could see the pilots being hard at work on them, as it is likely routine to rely on ATC and on-aircraft systems for collision avoidance information.

That said, collision avoidance systems usually aren’t mutable in the cockpit like general system cautions and advisories are. Warnings (meaning certain system failures or potential accident conditions exist) are designed to sound and present regardless of the time or mode of flight.

Something is off about the collision avoidance aspect here, if you ask me… I feel like there has to be procedure guiding what ATC does in the event of a collision avoidance indicator, but that may be local policy with military aircraft to talk the helicopters through the traffic.

Either that or the collision avoidance system was not working for EITHER aircraft. There are lots of questions to be answered.

The other thing at play is that the helicopter pilot requested he be allowed to maintain visual separation from the airplane approaching… yet obviously still collided with it, and apparently at speed unless the videos aren’t at good angles to reflect true air speed.

So did the pilot really not see the aircraft? Looking at the fight/approach radars, those were the only two aircraft in that area.

Active runways go in the same direction for takeoff and landing. It is based on wind direction. So the plane taking off in the video is flying AWAY from the aircraft that collided. What other plane could the helicopter pilot have been talking about keeping visual separation from?

Black boxes will tell the true tale, but I think lots of policy and procedure is about to be rewritten nationwide.

Possibilities in my mind in no particular order:

1). Helicopter pilot committed suicide not caring his buddies were with him.

2). Helicopter was lower in altitude than the airplane and trying to gain altitude. Pilot misjudged his ascent and had no vertical visibility, thinking he was fine.

That’s not even talking about ATC actions/communications. In that case, it sounds like there was poor or inefficient communication going on. No sense of urgency and everyone treating it as a routine situation even as the collision became imminent.

this is terrible. disgusting tragedy. totally avoidable. people have enough to worry about when flying especially if there is a plane or pilot failure or a terrorist

now we cannot even get a dipshit chopper pilot away from a busy airport and out the ascend/descend approach lane? WTF?

how stupid are these people?

Well, that sounds legit. Stuff happens I guess.

how about keep all choppers on a perimeter around airports at a certain elevation so going around a airport will automatically keep all planes above him. the dude flew right in front of the runway and he was close at same elevation. unacceptable.

epic failure also for whoever allowed this chopper flight.

quote:

---

Just heard a former Apache pilot on Fox and he said being VFR at night in that environment is very difficult.

---

the heli pilot mentioned visual separation so I'm assuming he was using night vision and saw AN aircraft.

You'll probably get downvoted because: "you're not a pilot, you don't know how this all works." Or something like that.

I'm not one either, and know shite about aviation, or even pretend to. What I do know is there should be multiple, redundant ways to avoid a goddamn Blackhawk from flying into the path of a descending airliner.

Sorry if already posted but I'm seeing reports (multiple youtube news videos) that there are zero survivors. This just sucks.