Posted on 01/30/2025 2:02:18 PM PST by Macho MAGA Man
Fox News obtained exclusive information regarding the crew members aboard the Army helicopter at the time of the accident. The instructor pilot commanding the Black Hawk boasted 1,000 flying hours.
Meanwhile, his co-pilot was a woman with 500 flying hours, considered to be a standard level of experience in aviation circles.
The revelation that the co-pilot was a woman has reignited ongoing debates about gender roles within military operations.
Fox News reported:
(Excerpt) Read more at thegatewaypundit.com ...
From various, unconfirmed, reports I’ve heard in the last 24 hours it appears this tragic collision was the “perfect storm” of bad luck & incompetence. That plane was vectored to runway 33, rarely used for landing planes @ DCA (it was windy last night in DC); last minute by the lone Air traffic controller (should have been at least two contrillers) in the DCA (Reagan National Airport) tower. Copter was on a training flight probably flying @ an altitude above its prescribed military copter flight path as well as possibly straying away from the DC/MD shoreline.
It’s been suggested that this plane flight was fairly new (Witchita to DCA) & that crew probably had never landed on Runway 33 which made the plane have to leave the typical over river fight path for the primary DCA runway. I hope this makes sense?
My thoughts & prayers to the surviving family members.
God Bless the first responders, particularly the folks recovering the bodies.
Cool!
My passengers whoop and holler when they know I’m doing their flight.
“What happens if you are flying a plane or helo wearing night vision goggles and suddenly have a bright light aimed directly into your line of sight ?”
Why would a helicopter flying in some of the most heavily used airspace in the world be on night vision goggles?
Just a note. She had, according to reports, five hundred hours of flight time. To be an ATP pilot you need five hundred hours. That’s the base. You work your way up from that. I’ve been flying since I was fourteen so I’m up around five thousand flight hours or so.
Exactly. I fly into Jackson Hole WY during the ski season and there are regional AL’s that won’t go in there esp. at night. Our company won’t go in there at night due to the terrain, flying between two mountain ridges.
LOL’s
Yeah, our arms tire too quickly.
Although she was our mayor’s daughter, I never met her.
OK OK OK, Skippy is a cool name so we got that going between us. Team hug.
I already did the Uncle Sam Rag Time Band thing.... 9 years, 11 months, 29 days good time. US Army/US Air Force.
For shits and giggles, another 40 months in Afghanistan and Iraq. Thank you, and you, and you, Mr. Tax Payer. Me: DOD US Army Contractor.
OK, let’s break bread some day. Have a toast, and maybe go to a range and pile up some brass.
My bad. <> freepersup <>
“Unless she was flying the helicopter, the point is moot.”
On that point I disagree. Pilot’s responsibility is flying the aircraft. Copilot’s responsibility is often communicating with tower and always to warn the pilot of any dangers. The tower told the copter the plane was there and to go behind it. That message was confirmed by someone on the plane. One example of a question Check-airmen will ask a copilot during their periodic required flight checks: “If you have an engine failure right now, what airport is your best bet?” Copilot better already know.
Copilots have a lot of responsibility.
Same exact thing happened Tuesday night same airport same situation except this time the pilot aborted the landing when a helicopter appeared seriously what the hell and no one said anything
My question is: who authorized that flight into restricted airspace? Who was navigating that military flight? An aircraft on final approach has the right of way over any other aircraft in the vicinity unless another aircraft calls an emergency, then you dump everything and do a go-around.
“Same exact thing happened Tuesday night same airport same situation except this time the pilot aborted the landing when a helicopter appeared seriously what the hell and no one said anything”
Yep, that’s breaking news right now.
Perfect Storm.
Looking more & more like ATC enabled catastrophe.
So Sad nothing was done in light of previous night’s near miss.
SMDH
Was the pilot a WOMAN ALSO????
“My question is: who authorized that flight into restricted airspace? Who was navigating that military flight? An aircraft on final approach has the right of way over any other aircraft in the vicinity”
If the UH-60 had stayed in the helicopter transit corridor — used heavily — there would have been no conflict with the approaching flight.
ONE person was doiung the job of TWO in ATC doing Helicopter and Plane landings!!
Russia Russia Russia
FAA staffing, calls for 30 controllers. On duty that night... 19.
Some staffers are pulling double duty.
My take so far...
1 Helo at wrong altitude (fatal mistake) Broke 200’ AGL restriction
2 Helo situational awareness lacking (fatal mistake) Missed visual spotting of a/c off nose
3 Helo crosses into active final approach path (fatal mistake) Breaks into prohibited landing zone
3 ATC communications warning incomplete (fatal mistake) Misperception/assumption and lack of relaying concise a/c location
4 ATC change course instructions lacking (fatal mistake) Fails to order immediate course correction
5 ATC situational awareness lacking (fatal mistake) Fails to recognize a/c on collision course and at same altitude
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