Posted on 01/30/2025 5:13:27 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum
The plane had been cleared to land on Reagan National Airport’s main runway. But in the final moments of the flight, air traffic control asked the pilot to land on a separate, intersecting runway.
Shortly before an American Airlines regional jet and an Army helicopter collided near Reagan National Airport on Wednesday night, the plane’s pilots were asked to pivot its landing route from one runway to another, according to a person briefed on the event and conversation overheard on audio recordings of conversations that occurred between an air traffic controller and the pilots.
American Airlines Flight 5342, which was en route to Washington from Wichita, Kan., had originally been cleared by the National Airport traffic control tower to land on the airport’s main runway, called Runway 1, the person briefed on the events and the audio recordings revealed. But in the final moments of the flight, this person and these recordings also showed, the jet pilot was asked by air traffic control to instead make a circle landing on a separate, intersecting runway, Runway 33.
That decision, according to the person who was briefed on the event and two other people who are familiar with the airport’s air traffic, happens routinely when regional jets like the American Airlines aircraft are involved, and may have been made to help keep air traffic moving efficiently by not clogging the main runway. It nonetheless raised questions within the Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday morning about congestion at National Airport, one of the nation’s busiest, the person briefed on the event added.
It is also raising questions about the safety of using intersecting runways, the person briefed on the event said, which the F.A.A. has sought to eliminate or close in recent years in places like Chicago and Dallas because of concerns about congestion...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
It’s complicated. Human error is simple.
The helicopter made a last minute turn and drop in altitude right into the plane. Don’t forget the container ship leaving Baltimore that made the last minute veering right into the bridge. Is there a hacker out there? What were the drones looking for?
Mission accomplished. American Airlines Flight 5342 didn't clog any runways.
Ships travel in two dimensions at dozens of miles per hour.
Aircraft travel in three dimensions at hundreds of miles per hour.
The intersecting runway may be shorter so it could accommodate a smaller regional jet, leaving the longer main runway available for larger aircraft.
ATC can ask almost anything, but the pilot can refuse the request for the shorter runway.
Reagan Airport has 3 runways.
4-22
33-15
1-19
The CRJ / #5432, may have been initially assigned 1-19, but because another flight was taking off southbound - using 1-19, was reassigned to land on 33-15. Not a big deal.
However, a helo was barreling down on the airspace, and misinterpreted the tower’s warning, confusing an aircraft that took off for the one that was inbound from Wichita, Kansas.
Sadly = BOOM!
On final approach, on glideslope, and reportedly 30 seconds from landing, changing from a 33o degree approach to a 10 degree approach is a major operation - probably with a go-around, procedure turn, and other maneuvers.
The helicopter should have been turned away, by the pilot if not the ATC controller, IMO. (Not a pilot, but in aircraft industry with ground school under my belt).
There was no way an aircraft was taking off southbound with the winds that day.
Really?
Watch the video.
Yet, they did! Watch the videos!
A joy stick could handle that.
No way, the winds were 320/17G25.
No aircraft will takeoff or land with a tailwind of 10 k or greater.
So many errors and bad calls.
Total Disaster. Fatal
Give me a break!
I’m a former professional freefall parachutist. I’m also a heavy drop parachute rigger, (#38,000lbs) and a couple of other disciplines, and I’m not buying your wind limitation. Weak soup.
Wow…You obviously know nothing about flying or wind limitations.
Sorry, I meant to say ABSOLUTELY nothing.
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