Bombshell report reveals key factors behind Black Hawk collision with jet that killed 67
The disaster near Washington DC's Ronald Reagan International Airport killed 64 people on board American Airlines Flight 5342 and three Army personnel on the Black Hawk helicopter
A bombshell new report has revealed the fatal mistakes that caused the catastrophic collision between a US Army helicopter and a passenger plane.
The disaster over the Potomach river near Washington DC's Ronald Reagan International Airport on January 29 killed 64 people on board American Airlines Flight 5342, and three Army personnel on the helicopter. The mid-air crash was deadliest incident involving an aircraft in the US since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and sparked a new wave of concern over pressures on air traffic control in the country. Now, an investigative report has found made two critical errors made by the helicopter's pilot in the moments leading up to the collision.
Before the crash, air traffic control had issued Army Black Hawk pilot Capt. Rebecca Lobach and her co-pilot Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves with a warning about the close proximity of the regional passenger jet, which the crew acknowledged.
They then requested to perform "visual separation," a common aviation procedure where pilots use their sight to navigate and keep their distance from other aircraft.
Recordings from the incident uncovered by the New York Times reveal that the controller responded with "Visual separation approved," meaning the request was granted.
However, Cpt. Lobach failed to visually separate from the incoming passenger jet.
It is believed that the captain - who was on her annual Black Hawk flight evaluation with her instructor and co-pilot Mr Eaves - either did not spot the plane, or was unable to navigate the helicopter to a safer position.
Then, 15 seconds before the crash, co-pilot then relayed order from the air control tower to turn left "toward the east river bank" but Capt Lobach did not follow this instruction.
It remains unclear why the visual separation or the instruction to move left was not followed, and there remains "no indication" that the captain had suffered a medical event, the report found.
Investigators suspect that a malfunctioning microphone may have prevented crucial information from reaching the cockpit of the US Army helicopter.
This could have involved human error if the both the pilot and co-pilot simultaneously pressed the talk button, as this would have cut off incoming audio.
Jennifer Homendy, chair of the US National Transportation Safety Board, this mistake may have led to the crew recieving an incomplete message, leaving them unaware of where to manoeuvre their helicopter.
She told reporters: "At 8:47:42 - or 17 seconds before impact - a radio transmission from the tower was audible on both CVRs directing the Black Hawk to pass behind the CRJ.
"CVR data from the Black Hawk indicated that the portion of the transmission that stated 'pass behind the' may not have been received by the Black Hawk crew."
Among the victims on board the American Airlines flight were 28 members of the US figure skating community.
It included former figure skating world champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, as well as promising teenage skaters Jinna Han and Spencer Lane.
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