Posted on 03/29/2025 4:59:49 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
WASHINGTON — A Senate panel demanded answers from the Federal Aviation Administration Thursday about why thousands of warnings about near misses between Army helicopters and commercial aircraft at Reagan National Airport outside Washington, D.C., were largely ignored before a Jan. 29 collision that killed 67 people.
The Senate subcommittee held the hearing on the heels of a new National Transportation Safety Board report indicating the number of near misses was much higher than previously assumed.
The same day as the hearing, the FAA ordered a new protocol requiring all aircraft to broadcast their positions as they approach the airport or fly over Washington airspace.
The flight corridor the Army helicopters used before the collision remains closed by order of the FAA.
During the Jan. 29 collision, an American Airlines regional jet slammed into an Army Black Hawk helicopter that was flying higher than its authorized altitude.
False instrument readings on the helicopter and the inability of equipment on both aircraft to send warnings to each other are suspected of contributing to the mid-air collision.
The National Transportation Safety Board report is adding to evidence that family members of the deceased crash victims are using in lawsuits against the Army and FAA.
Some senators at the hearing questioned whether the crash is an indicator of greater lapses by the FAA.
Between October 2021 and December 2024, there were more than 15,000 close-proximity events between commercial airplanes and helicopters at Reagan National Airport, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. Close calls mean the lateral separation between the aircraft was less than one nautical mile and vertical separation was less than 400 feet.
(Excerpt) Read more at thewellnews.com ...
To paraphrase George Carlin, they weren’t near misses. They were near hits.
And to quote him, “a crash is a near miss.”
Oh, all of a sudden it’s Reagan National.
And still they will try to blame Trump.
FTA: “During the Jan. 29 collision, an American Airlines regional jet slammed into an Army Black Hawk helicopter that was flying higher than its authorized altitude.” During the Jan. 29 collision, an American Airlines regional jet slammed into an Army Black Hawk helicopter that was flying higher than its authorized altitude”
This line is copied directly from one of the UK rags & is absolutely wrong as it was the helo slamming into the CRJ by being out of its assigned altitude limit on that route segment. The CRJ was proceeding on its assigned short final landing approach heading & altitude. JMO - it was on the Army crew & ATC for this absolute cockup of a tragedy.
That's a falsehood. The helicopter rammed the plane.
But that's not as stupid as the more recent cemetery flyover while the airport was operating, causing a near miss with a Delta plane. Per ATC the Air Force had "increased their time over target" causing problems for planes in the air. Check audio on the Youtube link below at about the 1:50 mark for information unfiltered by the media.
Time for some senior military officers to be jailed. Time to make some examples.
https://www.newsweek.com/delta-flight-near-miss-collision-air-force-2052499
Who are the stupid people who think having cross traffic in front of an active runway as little as 200 foot clearance is a good idea?
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