A pilot’s view on why helicopter did not avoid passenger jet in Washington crash...Dominic Nicholls, who flew helicopters for the British Army, explains how airspace is usually controlled to avoid accidents

Yahoo - Telegraph - UK ^ | Dominic Nicholls Associate Editor (Defence).

[Red Badger]

Aviation Ping!....................

[Jonty30]

The pilots are less responsible, imo, than those who were supposed to ensure safe airways.

[bunkerhill7]

Airborne collision avoidance radar hasn’t been invented yet

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

It’s impossible to believe that the approach/takeoff paths to/from Reagan airport are not major freeway on-ramps and off-ramps that are marked and known and tightly controlled, etc; etc;

To state the obvious.

[NewHampshireDuo]

I wonder what the helicopter pilot’s name was. Just asking for a friend of course.

[Red Badger]

I wonder if an AI ATC would work?....................

[Vaquero]

Might be a ‘trans’ Atlantic flight

[William of Barsoom]

I’ve never worn — or evn seen — a flight-quailified night vision rig, BUT I’ll speculate they aren’t a “wide angke” view.

Can any real-life MIL pilots comment on this?

Could tunnel vision be a contributing factor?

[mairdie]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14343183/pilot-jonathan-campos-officer-samuel-lilley-doomed-American-Eagle-jet-DC-plane-crash-revealed.html

6 years experience for pilot, 2 for first officer.

[Red Badger]

https://freerepublic.com/focus/news/4293674/posts?page=90#90

[z3n]

In ordinary flight outside controlled airspace, when two aircraft are approaching each other the aircraft on the right-hand side has right of way.

~~~

Likewise with watercraft, I believe the starboard craft has right of way.

[ALPAPilot]

The most stringently controlled zones are Class A airspace, such as the area around the Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington.

This is why you can't believe anything writen in a newspaper these days. Class A goes from 18,000 ft through FL600.

[PGR88]

People suspect its DEI and incompetence in the airlines - it could just as much be DEI and incompetence in the military.

[gitmo]

I wonder if an AI ATC would work?....................

Only if it is handicapped or LGBTQ+.

[Campion]

I wonder if an AI ATC would work?....................

"The AI ATC system has encountered a serious problem and needs to restart. Please wait."

[steve86]

Notably, the helo’s altitude appeared to be over 100 feet higher than the permissable maximum altitude ceiling given by flight restrictions for helicopters along that Potomac corridor. This would be a pilot error.

[Blood of Tyrants]

All commercial aircraft have a system called TCAS which stands for traffic collision avoidance system which is supposed to warn the pilot of an aircraft that is to close. I don’t think that combat aircraft have it.

[erlayman]

Once given clearance to land by ATC, however, an aircraft does not have to alter course even if, as seems to be the case in this incident, another aircraft (the military Black Hawk helicopter) is closing in on its right-hand side.

I understand they don’t have to take evasive action but couldn’t in this case (presumably).

[Jonty30]

That would be pilot error, I submit to that point.
He may have had reason to do that, that I’m not aware of. I don’t know why he did that.