The helicopter crew was given visual approach clearance twice and was asked 2x if they had the CRJ in sight which, they confirmed. The theory is they saw the wrong plane and didn't see the CRJ.
You're dealing with a 300(?) year old city built along a river, which needs both high capacity commercial air traffic and military air traffic within a constrained space.. Unless you're willing to raze the whole capital and do a full redesign, this is what you are working with. Bottom line, eventually accidents will happen.
@ the guy in the video just said this was normal routine so obviously people thought it was a good idea 🤣 obviously it should b changed now . The millitary base and that airport have been they're for decades....
@ But why build a military training route within 200 vertical feet of an airliner’s final approach path? Seems idiotic. And I think that’s now been proven.
Not really, there are rules of separation and as long as aircraft are a certain distance apart then allnos fine. I do this all the time as a pilot myself. I think, and this is conjecture, is that the flight crew of the Blackhawk had the wrong aircraft in sight
@@Fastvoice And according to the ADSB data, they turned into the path of the airliner , over the river, instead of turning to left, over the city. Sure seems like night VFR disorientation with all the city lights and other aircraft further down river heading toward the Heli.
@@Djlamayonly it wasn't an aircratf taking off, the aircraft was landing. And the landing was not at runway 1, but runway 33, the other side of the airport where the helicopter was doing its training routine.
Not such a great interview in my view. Major Garrett failed to follow up on key points raised by Mr. Bowman. Why was the Black Hawk at an altitude higher than the ceiling of 200 ft.? 2. Why wasn't the ATC much more emphatic about the looming danger and why wasn't he much more direct and specific about the location of the plane presenting the danger and what evasive action needed to be taken NOW ?
@@greenwave819 they didnt need night vision tho lmao it wouldve actually been worse it blocks your peripherals, when you have you ever seen an airplane pilot / helo wear night vision for a reuglar fligth .....
The prob is not the altitude. No pilot or ATC want one ac to pass under an ac on short final with very separation of 150 feet. ATC should have stopped or turn left the HELO. They clear saw on radar there was going to be a possible collision 1 min prior to accident.
I find the entire idea of Helis avoiding planes using just pilots sight bizzare and unacceptable. That seem like a one point of failure system. So if a Heli pilot doesn't see a plane, which can happen at any day at any time, there is no other system in place to make sure there are no planes flying in the vicinity of the Heli? Say what!!!
That helicopter was supposed to be hugging the east side of the river and staying at 200 feet altitude. it had drifted up to almost 400 feet, and it was out over the middle of the river. it was pilot error by the helicopter pilot. even if he couldn't see anything, if he had stayed in his lane there would not have been a crash.
I'm sure that if the helicopter pilot had said that he did not have the CRJ in sight, then ATC would have told him to hold clear, at least that's what I do with my airspace.
The helicopters MAXIMUM elevation in that area is ONLY 200’. The helicopter cannot gain altitude to 300’ until it crosses the bridge that is another mile or so down river. So why was the helicopter ABOVE 300’ when it collided with the plane?
Just saw a breaking news release. IT’s reporting that on TUESDAY at REAGAN, a jet had to abort a landing approach and make a second approach because of helicopter interference. Then this tragedy happens on Thursday. Why are helicopters flying routine missions in this airport’s vicinity. This was preventable.
they were flying there when reagan was still alive. this is their area to operate in. as has already been said, they've flown here for years without incident. this was a tragedy.
In a perfect world yes... not practical in a Congested city, with obstacles, other flight paths, restricted airspace, and other national security criteria.
Why don’t you talk about the fact that air traffic control radar showed the helicopter’s altitude as 300 feet in airspace that had a mandatory ceiling of 200 feet ?
@@uamsstudent What you don’t realize is how easy it is to climb 100 feet in a Blackhawk. You have almost 4000 hp. Think of how busy the area is. They could’ve possibly been changing radio frequencies trying to avoid other traffic and navigate their way down the Potomac river. Think of driving 35 miles an hour in your car. You look at the speedometer and then you look back outside and look back inside again and you’re going 40 miles an hour. It’s that easy to climb 100 feet. Takes less than five seconds.
Flight data shows the chopper below the 200 ft. "hard ceiling" (in compliance in that airspace) until about 45 seconds prior to the crash. For reasons unknown, the chopper began climbing and reached an altitude of about 350 feet, placing it on the Bombardier flight path which was descending on approach. My guess is that investigators will be focused on why the pilot chose to climb above the "hard ceiling" of 200 feet. Had he remained at 200 ft., there would have been a very close encounter but no collision.
I don't know how many deliberate actions need to take place, before this can be considered a deliberate action. Dude turned to intercept the plane, and climbed altitude to make sure it happened.
all 3 of them... and their supervisors who failed to FAIL them and FIRE them previously.. and the culture to fly military guys all over DC to events... vs have them drive !!
Agreed. The military helo pilot was probably a black or Mexican who stupidly flew at 400' instead of 200'. And were playing around with NVG night vision goggles.
I’m guessing, the Helo saw the aircraft less than 10 seconds before collision. Pilot broke protocol and tried to climb above the RJ. Helo was at 200’ and on course to far eastern shore of the river until about 10 seconds before collision, when the Helo veered more toward the center of river and rapidly climbed to 400’. Was a 350’ just an instant before collision. That is my guess from the information I’ve seen
When the system relies on visual acknowledgement of another aircraft while there are other aircraft in the vicinity this cannot be considered to be a safe system.
I teach flight school for the Army at at Fort Novosel, Alabama and have flown Blackhawks since 1988. I have taught night vision goggles here for the last 15 years. There was essentially no moon that night. Although the sky was clear… You would much rather be wearing night vision goggles than flying without them “unaided”. Another thing to consider is the design of the helicopter. The “a“ pillar like you would think of in a car, tends to hide traffic that may be slightly above you and to your left or right. Wearing night vision goggles brings your field of view down to 40° and you would have to be moving your head and looking around that a pillar to see traffic. I agree that the aircraft on takeoff was probably the traffic they were looking at. As long as you have the pentagon in Washington, DC you’re going to have helicopters flying the Potomac River. Think how many tens thousands of times it has happened with no issues…
If it was just ONE pilot on board you could stretch the imagination and say maybe for the entire mile he had direct visibility ahead at same altitude he did not see the plane was looking in another direction, but THREE pilots and neither of the three saw it nor was looking straight ahead. No collision alarm, radar, etc? Also blackhawks can maneuver like hell. They are a war helo for a reason. I have been in far bigger choppers and they can do insanely fast maneuvers (to such degree I popped an ear drum on a flight)
correction You do not go down to "around 200'' FAA Maps state clearly that the CEILING is 200', you must be lower instead according to flight data they were over 300' when crashing into the American Eagle jet. This is pilot error on the helicopters part, End of story.
The strict 200ft ceiling was not meant so helos could fly under a large jet on short final. For one no HELO pilot wants to hit the wake turbulence of landing jet. And no pilot requesting a SEE AND AVOID plans on avoiding a landing jet by 200 ft. ATC should never have allowed HELO to get within a mile of that landing jet while on a collision course. ATC should have made the call to helo..stop or alter course
@@joeshmooo5327 again I have to state you guys have no idea how easy it is to climb 100 feet in a Blackhawk. You have 4000 hp at your left arm. You’re flying along at 200 feet AGL one minute and then you glance inside at the instruments for five seconds and look back out and the next thing you know you’ve climbed 150 feet. It’s like driving in your car at 35 miles an hour without cruise control on you look outside for a few seconds and look back in and you’re going 40 miles an hour. It’s that easy.
@@proudbirther1998 please stop. The helicopter pilot responded he had the CRJ insight. At that point the responsibility falls squaring on the pilot, not the controller. See and avoid is used all the time in aviation.
@ I actually teach flight school for the U.S. Army here at Fort Novosel, Alabama in the Blackhawk. My specific job is teaching night vision goggles for the last 15 years. I’ve been flying Blackhawks since 1988.
From the videos of the collision, it's easy to see the incredibly bright lights the plane had, pointing forward. Seems like that would have been easy to see if someone was much closer and at the same hight
They flew a helicopter straight into the final approach of a major busy airport! They should not be in there at all, its too risky if something goes wrong. 200 feet is not enough separation. It's a stupid idea.
10 feet is as good as a mile. 200 feet is even better. I routinely miss trees on the side of the road by about 20 feet, much less than 200 feet, when driving. The bottom line is, over about 250,000 flights in the US per year , accidents can happen eventually due to operator or other error.
They do that multiple times a day for decades. Separation can also be at only 150 ft vertical or less (plus the horizontal separation). Ceiling for helicopters is 200 ft, incoming planes may be at about 350 at this point - like in the actual case. Problem is that the helicopter was also that high.
ATC was not monitoring the computer screen ...or visual IF THEY WERE THEY WOULD HAVE SAID "LOOK OUT!!! not ewwww, after the collision!!!!! ATC FAIL!!!!
because there's a military base airfield right across the river from Reagan airport goofball..... they've been doing this for decades this isnt new the guy in the video just explained the normal procedures
From what I listened to The ATC and the Blackhawk pilots .. The Blackhawk had accepted the visual separation which left them on their own to look out for the incoming plane ...But, the Blackhawk spotted the wrong plane behind them, not the one that was coming in ...
The helo shot up about 100' in the last few seconds, right into the plane's path. Probably they were reacting to their collision avoidance alarm and misread its cause. As far as tower goes, there is an expectation of expertise and local knowledge for pilots. The helo operators should know their flight paths and rules. Tower asked twice if the helo saw the plane, helo said yes both times. Tower directed the helo to go around behind the plane. Helo either disregarded the instruction or didn't really see the plane. So it doesn't matter what altitude the tower saw, there was nothing they could do about that. Go listen to the audio. ATC was on top of things before the accident, clearly engaged and paying attention and thinking ahead... and did a great job in the aftermath.
PAT 25 got clearance for visual separation meaning the tower was no longer controlling him. He had the wrong aircraft in sight obviously and flew right into the one he was suppose to be looking for. No reason to allow the use of see and avoid around airliners too many lives at risk human error is too great.
@@Mike-01234 This. Aircraft can blend in with city lights and become invisible. It's possible they were tracking another plane on the same approach or one taking off. For whatever reason, they followed the 200' deck but climbed to 300' just before the collision for whatever reason. Curious if it was maybe target fixation where you go where you look. Like on a motorcycle, you'll almost certainly go in the ditch you're trying to avoid if you're looking at it.
@@chez3869 ATC double-checked with the heli pilot 10 seconds before the collision, and the heli pilot reassured ATC they had the airplane in sight and would go behind it. Not sure what more you want from ATC. This was the heli pilot's fault, sadly
I shake my head at your comment. The fact that 7 people agree with it makes me shake it even more. It was an accident. Nothing to do with a politician who been in his job 3 days.
Nah, Bowman contradicts what other experienced pilots are saying. The helicopter failed and the controller also failed in that he should've given more clarity to the pilot than just "crj".
So the way the route is designed, if everything goes perfectly, there is only 150' of separation. Not much wiggle room if things aren't flown correctly or other mistakes are made.
Its not if everything goes perfectly there is only 150' of separation.. If the helicopter had followed the right route, had flown at the correct altitude, and had complied with multiple ATC instructions, this would not have happened..
The video appears to show the helicopter proceeding directly toward the plane and crashing into it. Regardless of what the tower said anyone should have been able to see what was right in front of them.
I cannot comprehend how it is that pilots rely on visual perception in the dark. Marine Captains are not allowed to, why would Air Captains be allowed to? What’s next, blind helicopter pilots?
With all the issues that have surfaced with this airport and lack of Air traffic controllers……. Why the Hell are we trying to go the Moon and Mars!!! We need to get our priorities together!!
Exactly!!! But, I've been asking the same question for years. Until we fix our problems at home, we don't need to be worrying ourselves with other planets. Let's fix the one we've ruined instead of trashing another
Throughout the ATC, Helo pilot, and AA pilot conversation, no one asks if the AA plane is approaching or departing. I think the Helo pilot thought the ATC was informing him of the departing flight in that video. ATC asks TWICE and TWICE Helo pilot says Yeah I see him. They are all looking at the departing flight (to the right) and then they are right on top of the AA plane not seeing it out their cockpit to the left. They thought they hit that gap in between approaching and departing flights. ATC also offered AA RW33 at the last minute because it's closer to terminals and such.
Oh yeah? Whatever the helicopter pilot was looking at he was still obliged to maintain the 200 foot ceiling and there is no way he could not see a moving commercial aircraft in front of his nose.
One problem I’ve found is that when ATC asks you to look for traffic and you find it, you tend to keep looking at it. If traffic is to your left then you can stop paying attention to what’s in front of you as you focus on the traffic or focus on trying to find it. It can be very distracting if the traffic is off to one side. If the pilot saw the wrong plane say to their right, then they could have been focused and looking right and not have seen the actual plane coming from the left in front of them. I believe from the audio ATC asks the helo a minute or so earlier about looking for different traffic that is taking off. The helo confirms visual. It’s possible as well that when ATC asked about the CRJ that the helo crew looked at the original plane and confirmed vs realizing there was a different CRJ. Just saying there’s a lot of ways this could go wrong and sadly a mistake that almost any pilot could make.
The ATC never told the helo crew to look at an aircraft taking off.. They told the helo if they had the CRJ that was at 1200ft, over the Woodrow Wilson bridge that was going to be landing on RWY 33.. That is pretty dang specific. The crew said they had that traffic in sight. Not some other traffic.. The traffic that was over bridge... If they didn't have that traffic, or were confused with other traffic, they should have brought it up with ATC.
That helicopter had no business plunging into that airplane when the other plane was way up in the air when 4352 was landing, that helicopter ran smack into the tail end of the plane. The question is what were they doing or looking at on the helicopter.
Trump was firing everybody he didn’t even have an FAA director . Oops. Maybe he does need people in the government. Getting rid of 2 million people at once may not be a good idea.
Helicopters flying near the departure and in bound routes of air planes (fixed wing) is a very unsafe practice and must be discontinued. This is very tragic. It's a miracle that This hasn't happened prior to last night. The current numbers of fixed wing aircraft has been increased several times during the last decade. This Collison happened during a good visibility night. The risk increase even more during lower visibility times. Fixed wing and rotor aircraft should not ever be using the same space where fixed wing aircraft are taking off and landing.
There's audio available of the flight. The guest should have maybe listened to that before commenting. It answers a lot of his "maybe" comments. A lot of folks in the comments should maybe look at some of the early pilot analysis available on YT too. Lots of outrage over common occurrences that are usually fine.
The people on the coptor were wearing night vision goggles which restricts your tunnel of vision. With 2 planes in the Air, ATC should have been more specific..
Long ago I witnessed another helicopter crash in the Pacific region. I don't know the details of the crash, but I saw the aftermath: 4 or 5 burnt parachute bags. After the rescuers opened the bags, they found that the parachutes were in good condition, the parachute silk (white) was in good condition, even perfect, I saw for myself that there were no traces of flame, and the parachutes were ready for the pilots to use for ejection, but the pilots did not use them or were unable to use them.
Major Garrett did not follow up on a couple of key points that Mr Bowman raised- 1. Why was the Black Hawk at an altitude higher than the ceiling of 200 ft.? 2. Why wasn't the ATC much more emphatic about the looming danger and why wasn't he much more direct and specific about the location of the plane presenting the danger and what evasive action needed to be taken NOW ?
Reagan National needs to be redesigned to make it safer! It was a disaster waiting to happen. It's heartbreaking that it took the deaths of 67 people for them to realize that!
I'm just curious if the altimeter of the helicopter was telling the truth. I believe there is not a pilot in any circumstance that would knowingly go above the altitude limit risking a mid-air collision.
@@davidhirschy8761 Seems like they shouldn’t have been at the altitude regardless and that altitude restriction would have been there to eliminate the chance of errors like focusing on the wrong plane
That just seems like a dumb idea to have helicopters passing directly under commercial aircraft on final approach. And 200 feet ceiling?!?! That's VERY LITTLE room for error!
Would it hurt the training or ATC to tell the helicopter to hold/hover position until the approaching CRJ passes?!! Why was it still moving forward is where I'm stuck.
Black Hawk pilot made a deadly mistake. Hopefully change will come that this never happens again. God bless the families of the 67 souls that perished. ❤
The route is used extensively by military helicopters, but due to the approach path to the airport, they're required to remain below 200 feet. For reasons not yet explained, the chopper climbed from 200 to about 350 feet, which is the apparent cause of the accident.
@jlvandat69 yes, I had just seen that. The only way they are allowed to fly at that height is if they have authorization. So, for some reason, he went outside of the original route. Who authorized it is my question 🤔
@@kathywotring9762 I'm guessing it was a "self-authorized" deviation, i.e., for some reason(s) he decided it was necessary to climb and deviate without authorization. A very odd decision by a well-trained military pilot. Hopefully, the investigation will reveal why he made this fatal mistake and we'll learn lessons to prevent a similar tragedy.
@jlvandat69 Agreed, very odd. Kind of reminds me of that well trained Special Forces soldier who not to long ago parked a rental vehicle with the intent to harm Trump. So a well trained Special Forces soldier I'm going to say would really know how to blow something up if he wanted to. Am I correct? Let's all pretend we don't see what's really going on here like they want us to, huh? Nah. I've been awakened to what these corrupt officials do. I was secret service in the US Army/Military Police. I will not blame the Blackhawk pilots or the crew because that's what they want to divert from what's really going on. Do you think your government tells you the truth and nothing but the truth, so help them through "God?"
The crash happened at 400 feet. That means the helicopter pilot was 200 feet higher than he should have been flying along that corridor. So which plane he was looking at is a moot point. He was at an altitude he should not have been at.
Did the president even listen to the voices in the tower they asked them 3 times if they seen the plane they said yes it was there responsibility to avoid it! They must have been looking at the plane behind it! It was not a DEI or tower problem it was a tragedy.
DEI means "take anybody but the white man" so the Prez is trying to cull that every chance he gets because that's what he does. Not relevant in this instance, of course, as you point out. But I don't want to support the idea that culling it is misguided. Hot sports opinion here.
Well if they supposedly had the other flight in sight, how could they not have sight of one that was closer. A drone has obstacle avoidance setting, warning. Why not a Blackhawk.
I know it's easy for me to say but in a helicopter its all glass in the front so how the hell didn't they see a plane at night with its lights on? Did you watch the video it shows the chopper going right towards the plane so how could you not see it with the lights so bright at night????
As a former flight instructor, I can also tell you that it can be remarkably difficult to spot another aircraft at night, especially if it is silhouetted against a backdrop of brighter city lights. Unless the aircraft is pointed right at you with the landing lights on, you might miss it. Also, as the other commenter mentioned, the air traffic is heavy, with planes taking off and landing less than a minute apart, so the pilot may have thought he had the correct aircraft in sight when it was actually the one in front of the airliner he hit. Also, this was an evaluation/qualification flight for the helicopter pilot, and there could have been extra stress and workload from having multiple people onboard, some of them training or evaluating. It's even possible that the radio call from the helicopter wasn't made by the flying pilot, which brings in another possible complicating factor. I have also heard reports that the helo pilot may have been using night vision; I've never used it while flying, but perhaps a military chopper pilot reading this can tell us if it could have limited the pilot's vision in some respects.
No insight at all from this interview! The helicopter were required to follow the special route, along the river bank, but flew in middle of river. it were required to stay at or below 200 feet altitude, but it flew 400 to 300 feet. This is 100 % the helicopter's fault.
You can't use radar under a certain altitude at any distance from the radar transmitter/receiver, , and radar doesn't distinguish altitudes of aircraft, just distance ( pretty well) and vector from center ( very well).
@steveshea6148, Thank you for clarification. Flying single engine Cessnas, we were taught to follow our instruments as night vision can be misleading.
The helicopter crew was given visual approach clearance twice and was asked 2x if they had the CRJ in sight which, they confirmed.
The theory is they saw the wrong plane and didn't see the CRJ.
In theory the tower should have confirmed which aircraft. They tracked both on radar.
That’s what UA-cam Captain Steeeve said.
That's what the guy said.
no matter the Were. 125-150 ft above Maximum of 200ft at impact
Nonsense that wasn't the issue
The 200ft ceiling isn't meant to allow a landing jet on shortfinal to fly over a helicopter
Who’s brilliant idea was it to have military ops in the final approach of one of the world’s busiest airports?
You're dealing with a 300(?) year old city built along a river, which needs both high capacity commercial air traffic and military air traffic within a constrained space.. Unless you're willing to raze the whole capital and do a full redesign, this is what you are working with. Bottom line, eventually accidents will happen.
theyve been doing ops forever this isnt new at all , its the same at hawaii airport and san diego airport
@@chez3869 are you implying it was a good idea because it’s old?
@ the guy in the video just said this was normal routine so obviously people thought it was a good idea 🤣 obviously it should b changed now . The millitary base and that airport have been they're for decades....
@ But why build a military training route within 200 vertical feet of an airliner’s final approach path? Seems idiotic. And I think that’s now been proven.
200 feet darting in front of an airliner flying at 400 feet is nuts.
YES it IS Been There its NOT an EASY TASK Ever
Problem is that the helicopter flew a bit over 300 ft.
Not really, there are rules of separation and as long as aircraft are a certain distance apart then allnos fine. I do this all the time as a pilot myself. I think, and this is conjecture, is that the flight crew of the Blackhawk had the wrong aircraft in sight
@@Fastvoice And according to the ADSB data, they turned into the path of the airliner , over the river, instead of turning to left, over the city. Sure seems like night VFR disorientation with all the city lights and other aircraft further down river heading toward the Heli.
@@Fastvoice It gained alt to 350' to impact.
His reasoning makes more sense to me.
An aircraft taking off from runway 1 would never be in conflict with a helicopter flying on the other side of the airport. It makes no sense!!!
@@Djlamayonly it wasn't an aircratf taking off, the aircraft was landing. And the landing was not at runway 1, but runway 33, the other side of the airport where the helicopter was doing its training routine.
GREAT INTERVIEW! 💪Thank you.
Not such a great interview in my view. Major Garrett failed to follow up on key points raised by Mr. Bowman. Why was the Black Hawk at an altitude higher than the ceiling of 200 ft.? 2. Why wasn't the ATC much more emphatic about the looming danger and why wasn't he much more direct and specific about the location of the plane presenting the danger and what evasive action needed to be taken NOW ?
interesting how other pilots and experts have said this was massively odd to have a heli flying in the landing path and at landing height.
also FoV with night vision wouldn't be an issue, they don't stop you from seeing what is directly in front of you
@@greenwave819 they didnt need night vision tho lmao it wouldve actually been worse it blocks your peripherals, when you have you ever seen an airplane pilot / helo wear night vision for a reuglar fligth .....
Where did you find this?
The prob is not the altitude. No pilot or ATC want one ac to pass under an ac on short final with very separation of 150 feet.
ATC should have stopped or turn left the HELO. They clear saw on radar there was going to be a possible collision 1 min prior to accident.
The helicopter was told to wait for the plane to pass
I find the entire idea of Helis avoiding planes using just pilots sight bizzare and unacceptable.
That seem like a one point of failure system. So if a Heli pilot doesn't see a plane, which can happen at any day at any time, there is no other system in place to make sure there are no planes flying in the vicinity of the Heli? Say what!!!
It's like a squirrel trying to cross in front of a car. Eventually the car hits the squirrel.
That helicopter was supposed to be hugging the east side of the river and staying at 200 feet altitude. it had drifted up to almost 400 feet, and it was out over the middle of the river. it was pilot error by the helicopter pilot. even if he couldn't see anything, if he had stayed in his lane there would not have been a crash.
I'm sure that if the helicopter pilot had said that he did not have the CRJ in sight, then ATC would have told him to hold clear, at least that's what I do with my airspace.
@Zorthal when it's obvious he doesn't actually see the plane the ATC should have intervened before it was too late.
Hmmm what else is going on in America. I they trying to distract you from anything else? Any new laws being passed right now?
With all due respect Mr. Bowman the system or protocols didn't fail. Somebody was flying at the wrong altitude.
Wrong, how many hours do you have flying
Respectfully, or both
The helicopters MAXIMUM elevation in that area is ONLY 200’. The helicopter cannot gain altitude to 300’ until it crosses the bridge that is another mile or so down river.
So why was the helicopter ABOVE 300’ when it collided with the plane?
@@doinkclown1981 Well, that's the question isn't it? What ever the protocol is it's been working until last night. Can't blame the system.
@@tankcommander33 Wrong in what way? The protocols weren't flying. Pilots were flying.
It's good to hear it from an experience Black Hawk Helo pilot that flew that same route many times. Very good interview!
Just saw a breaking news release. IT’s reporting that on TUESDAY at REAGAN, a jet had to abort a landing approach and make a second approach because of helicopter interference. Then this tragedy happens on Thursday. Why are helicopters flying routine missions in this airport’s vicinity. This was preventable.
Normal routine training
Military pilot arrogance?
Decades. This has been normal, everyday activity for DECADES. You're welcome.
they were flying there when reagan was still alive. this is their area to operate in. as has already been said, they've flown here for years without incident. this was a tragedy.
the milltary base is across the river from the airport its the exact same way in san diego and hawaii this isnt new at all
Nothing should be crossing the path of a active runway......period.
that would be to smart !!!
Unfortunately our space is becoming overwhelmed by too many machines and flying safety is no longer guaranteed.
♥Trump♥
At the certain altitudes especially and that seems applicable regardless of what the helicopter crew might have been paying attention to
In a perfect world yes... not practical in a Congested city, with obstacles, other flight paths, restricted airspace, and other national security criteria.
Why don’t you talk about the fact that air traffic control radar showed the helicopter’s altitude as 300 feet in airspace that had a mandatory ceiling of 200 feet ?
Whatever the controller was saying, you have to keep 200 ft
@@uamsstudent What you don’t realize is how easy it is to climb 100 feet in a Blackhawk. You have almost 4000 hp. Think of how busy the area is. They could’ve possibly been changing radio frequencies trying to avoid other traffic and navigate their way down the Potomac river. Think of driving 35 miles an hour in your car. You look at the speedometer and then you look back outside and look back inside again and you’re going 40 miles an hour. It’s that easy to climb 100 feet. Takes less than five seconds.
@@jimteegarden9250my bmw suv only has 250 hp 😔
And he climbed to 400 feet that is 2x the max
@@vntnnguyen and the helo climbed to collide at 400 feet
What a tragedy ! 2025 has been the longest year already it feels like
Flight data shows the chopper below the 200 ft. "hard ceiling" (in compliance in that airspace) until about 45 seconds prior to the crash. For reasons unknown, the chopper began climbing and reached an altitude of about 350 feet, placing it on the Bombardier flight path which was descending on approach. My guess is that investigators will be focused on why the pilot chose to climb above the "hard ceiling" of 200 feet. Had he remained at 200 ft., there would have been a very close encounter but no collision.
I don't know how many deliberate actions need to take place, before this can be considered a deliberate action. Dude turned to intercept the plane, and climbed altitude to make sure it happened.
The helo went up to 400 feet
This was 100% the military pilots error and fault.
all 3 of them... and their supervisors who failed to FAIL them and FIRE them previously.. and the culture to fly military guys all over DC to events... vs have them drive !!
Don't be stupid please. TWR clear south path twice to the helicópter, as they move the plane from 01 to 33 RWY.
Agreed. The military helo pilot was probably a black or Mexican who stupidly flew at 400' instead of 200'. And were playing around with NVG night vision goggles.
Sadly agree
Ime still curious why the Helo was at 400ft when 200ft was their ceiling to avoid collision.
Maybe the helo pilot was the DEI hire.
@@peterrutkowski8172 Was the copilot and flight instructor as well?? Any comment on the DUI hires in the new Administration?
@@ronmaxim8009 DUI and DEI are 2 totally different things 😀
@@peterrutkowski8172 Only Trump is.
I’m guessing, the Helo saw the aircraft less than 10 seconds before collision. Pilot broke protocol and tried to climb above the RJ. Helo was at 200’ and on course to far eastern shore of the river until about 10 seconds before collision, when the Helo veered more toward the center of river and rapidly climbed to 400’. Was a 350’ just an instant before collision.
That is my guess from the information I’ve seen
Praying for victims and their families 🙏
When the system relies on visual acknowledgement of another aircraft while there are other aircraft in the vicinity this cannot be considered to be a safe system.
Flight situation well summed up by Mr Bowman.
I teach flight school for the Army at at Fort Novosel, Alabama and have flown Blackhawks since 1988. I have taught night vision goggles here for the last 15 years. There was essentially no moon that night. Although the sky was clear… You would much rather be wearing night vision goggles than flying without them “unaided”. Another thing to consider is the design of the helicopter. The “a“ pillar like you would think of in a car, tends to hide traffic that may be slightly above you and to your left or right. Wearing night vision goggles brings your field of view down to 40° and you would have to be moving your head and looking around that a pillar to see traffic. I agree that the aircraft on takeoff was probably the traffic they were looking at. As long as you have the pentagon in Washington, DC you’re going to have helicopters flying the Potomac River. Think how many tens thousands of times it has happened with no issues…
Such a sad, tragic day horrific accident
Does the tower know the helicopter flies too low? Is the tower responsible to warn the helicopter crew?
He should’ve coached the president on how to speak after an event that’s being investigated. Great insight.
Waste of time.. Trump does not take coaching.. He knows everything..
You're seriously critising Trumps speaking after 4 years of Joey? Really?
Finally an expert worth having on the air
The air around had so much space to maneuver you want to tell me that helicopter Pilot was so negligent.
Black hawk is a big heavy helicopter. Its not like the light one that can be manuever easily
The H60 pilot did not see him.
If it was just ONE pilot on board you could stretch the imagination and say maybe for the entire mile he had direct visibility ahead at same altitude he did not see the plane was looking in another direction, but THREE pilots and neither of the three saw it nor was looking straight ahead. No collision alarm, radar, etc?
Also blackhawks can maneuver like hell. They are a war helo for a reason. I have been in far bigger choppers and they can do insanely fast maneuvers (to such degree I popped an ear drum on a flight)
@@julin2rs548 Then why did he twice say he had the CRJ?? There were three sets of eyes in that cockpit..
correction You do not go down to "around 200'' FAA Maps state clearly that the CEILING is 200', you must be lower instead according to flight data they were over 300' when crashing into the American Eagle jet. This is pilot error on the helicopters part, End of story.
The strict 200ft ceiling was not meant so helos could fly under a large jet on short final.
For one no HELO pilot wants to hit the wake turbulence of landing jet.
And no pilot requesting a SEE AND AVOID plans on avoiding a landing jet by 200 ft.
ATC should never have allowed HELO to get within a mile of that landing jet while on a collision course. ATC should have made the call to helo..stop or alter course
@@joeshmooo5327 again I have to state you guys have no idea how easy it is to climb 100 feet in a Blackhawk. You have 4000 hp at your left arm. You’re flying along at 200 feet AGL one minute and then you glance inside at the instruments for five seconds and look back out and the next thing you know you’ve climbed 150 feet. It’s like driving in your car at 35 miles an hour without cruise control on you look outside for a few seconds and look back in and you’re going 40 miles an hour. It’s that easy.
@@jimteegarden9250not so, are you a pilot?
@@proudbirther1998 please stop. The helicopter pilot responded he had the CRJ insight. At that point the responsibility falls squaring on the pilot, not the controller. See and avoid is used all the time in aviation.
@ I actually teach flight school for the U.S. Army here at Fort Novosel, Alabama in the Blackhawk. My specific job is teaching night vision goggles for the last 15 years. I’ve been flying Blackhawks since 1988.
The Helo was @ 350ft. instead f 200ft. just as the CJ was descending thru 400-300 on the visual approach.
Curious about the Pilot of the helicopter. Hopefully their background is looked through thoroughly.
@@roybatty1891 female pilot from arkansas
IMO 100 feet separation is not nearly enough too risky helos should not fly in the approach path until they are 1000 feet below an airliner.
@@judomike4255 the released audio from the helo was a male voice though?
@@Mike-01234 Not possible in that airspace.
From the videos of the collision, it's easy to see the incredibly bright lights the plane had, pointing forward. Seems like that would have been easy to see if someone was much closer and at the same hight
when your driving on the highway and see an airplane at night you dont notice the airplane until its right above u even tho it was flashing lights
Crew was likely wearing night vision goggles which process the image and distort depth perception.
@@chez3869lights can be blinding
@markw1123 i could be wrong but doesn't night vision goggles make regular light even brighter?
Helicopter Rams into an airliner. That’s NOT a ‘collision’.
Ironic that Trump cut ATC funding and got hundreds of ATC fired???? No. You fool.
Google "collision".
Agreed. The black hawk did not seem to avert its flight path with a huge aircraft in front of it but rather sped forward into its side.
Yes..that's exactly what it looked like on the video..helicopter crashed into the aircraft...😢
Wrong, Helicopter flew in Front of airliner.
They flew a helicopter straight into the final approach of a major busy airport! They should not be in there at all, its too risky if something goes wrong. 200 feet is not enough separation. It's a stupid idea.
10 feet is as good as a mile. 200 feet is even better. I routinely miss trees on the side of the road by about 20 feet, much less than 200 feet, when driving. The bottom line is, over about 250,000 flights in the US per year , accidents can happen eventually due to operator or other error.
They do that multiple times a day for decades. Separation can also be at only 150 ft vertical or less (plus the horizontal separation). Ceiling for helicopters is 200 ft, incoming planes may be at about 350 at this point - like in the actual case. Problem is that the helicopter was also that high.
theyve been doing this for decades , its the exact same way in hawaii and san diego
How sad that military people (who are supposed to protect the country) killed an entire airplane full of innocent people.
Nothing new....the US military is in the business of killing innocent civilians
He was most likely a 40-50 year old white Felon-voter. NOT DEI!
@@tvdinner325 he was white and also a dei as reported.
It was an accident
ATC was not monitoring the computer screen ...or visual IF THEY WERE THEY WOULD HAVE SAID "LOOK OUT!!! not ewwww, after the collision!!!!! ATC FAIL!!!!
I don't know how an accomplished helicopter pilot missed a plane head on and was 200ft above his altitude, on a very clear night. Horrible story.
@SeniorMoostacho: bet there WERE NOT experienced helicopter flyers in that helicopter.
why is the military flying anywhere near any airport?
because there's a military base airfield right across the river from Reagan airport goofball..... they've been doing this for decades this isnt new the guy in the video just explained the normal procedures
Then how does this not happen at airports every night?
Seems both tower control and the helicopter pilot didn't know (or care) the helicopter was flying above the 200 ft. limit
I don’t believe the helicopter had their tracking system wasn’t turned on. Not sure that the ATC knew their exact elevation.
From what I listened to The ATC and the Blackhawk pilots .. The Blackhawk had accepted the visual separation which left them on their own to look out for the incoming plane ...But, the Blackhawk spotted the wrong plane behind them, not the one that was coming in ...
The helo shot up about 100' in the last few seconds, right into the plane's path. Probably they were reacting to their collision avoidance alarm and misread its cause.
As far as tower goes, there is an expectation of expertise and local knowledge for pilots. The helo operators should know their flight paths and rules. Tower asked twice if the helo saw the plane, helo said yes both times. Tower directed the helo to go around behind the plane. Helo either disregarded the instruction or didn't really see the plane.
So it doesn't matter what altitude the tower saw, there was nothing they could do about that.
Go listen to the audio. ATC was on top of things before the accident, clearly engaged and paying attention and thinking ahead... and did a great job in the aftermath.
@@glenm99 ... and it was only one ATC guy for two frequencies (civil/military). Big workload.
@@Fastvoice Military was on the same frequency as the CRJ...
Not only 200 feet but also routing along the _east shore_ of the river not over the middle of the river.
PAT 25 got clearance for visual separation meaning the tower was no longer controlling him. He had the wrong aircraft in sight obviously and flew right into the one he was suppose to be looking for. No reason to allow the use of see and avoid around airliners too many lives at risk human error is too great.
exactly!
@@Mike-01234 This. Aircraft can blend in with city lights and become invisible. It's possible they were tracking another plane on the same approach or one taking off. For whatever reason, they followed the 200' deck but climbed to 300' just before the collision for whatever reason. Curious if it was maybe target fixation where you go where you look. Like on a motorcycle, you'll almost certainly go in the ditch you're trying to avoid if you're looking at it.
@@Mike-01234 Well then get ready to hire another 100,000 air traffic controllers because see and avoid is used all over this country.
Why would ATC be warning the chopper about a jet taking off in the opposite direction? Of course the incoming traffic was where the eyes should be!
atc wasnt paying attention lets be honest
@@chez3869 ATC double-checked with the heli pilot 10 seconds before the collision, and the heli pilot reassured ATC they had the airplane in sight and would go behind it. Not sure what more you want from ATC. This was the heli pilot's fault, sadly
They are trying to avoid having to tell the public, that another soldier went rogue, but this time took out a plane.
I'd be very interested to see a photo of the pilot if you get my drift.
The helicopter pilot is at fault in this collision. Secretary of defense should have resigned after this accident.
Gimme a break
@@steveshea6148 It turned out, a day before the accident another jet almost collided with a helicopter near Reagan airport and had to go around
I shake my head at your comment. The fact that 7 people agree with it makes me shake it even more. It was an accident. Nothing to do with a politician who been in his job 3 days.
@@jameshill4900 It's TDS by proxy.
This explaination makes sense. They were looking at the wrong plane
Nah, Bowman contradicts what other experienced pilots are saying. The helicopter failed and the controller also failed in that he should've given more clarity to the pilot than just "crj".
So the way the route is designed, if everything goes perfectly, there is only 150' of separation. Not much wiggle room if things aren't flown correctly or other mistakes are made.
not really, the helo is supposed to maintain 200' elevation AND avoid being in the path, the helo is never supposed to be directly under a jet.
Mistakes like darkness at night.
Its not if everything goes perfectly there is only 150' of separation.. If the helicopter had followed the right route, had flown at the correct altitude, and had complied with multiple ATC instructions, this would not have happened..
Sorry to say that the interviewee omitted to mention the fact that the helo pilot flew up to the plane, he was not being honest.
The video appears to show the helicopter proceeding directly toward the plane and crashing into it. Regardless of what the tower said anyone should have been able to see what was right in front of them.
Also... intentional or it was a woman texting while driving
That flight path where those passenger jets pass to land and take flight should be set as no flight zones to avoid any of this
I cannot comprehend how it is that pilots rely on visual perception in the dark. Marine Captains are not allowed to, why would Air Captains be allowed to? What’s next, blind helicopter pilots?
It just doesnt seem like an accident. Not at all.
Zero chance of intentionally t-boning an airplane that is going 200 mph
yep
Yeah I called BS immediately. Only questions that should be asked is *Who was onboard when this occurred*
The buck stops with the commander in chief. Period.
Why would they be asking him if he sees an aircraft taking off that in no way would ever be a conflict with theirs?
BEST explanation yet
With all the issues that have surfaced with this airport and lack of Air traffic controllers……. Why the Hell are we trying to go the Moon and Mars!!! We need to get our priorities together!!
Exactly!!! But, I've been asking the same question for years. Until we fix our problems at home, we don't need to be worrying ourselves with other planets. Let's fix the one we've ruined instead of trashing another
Greed to grab more land on the MOON 🇺🇸😂
Throughout the ATC, Helo pilot, and AA pilot conversation, no one asks if the AA plane is approaching or departing. I think the Helo pilot thought the ATC was informing him of the departing flight in that video. ATC asks TWICE and TWICE Helo pilot says Yeah I see him. They are all looking at the departing flight (to the right) and then they are right on top of the AA plane not seeing it out their cockpit to the left. They thought they hit that gap in between approaching and departing flights.
ATC also offered AA RW33 at the last minute because it's closer to terminals and such.
About 300 feet on a one mile final. Flying right through the glide path of the RJ.
Now that was a thorough expert take.
Appreciate the logic and reasoned answers
Oh yeah? Whatever the helicopter pilot was looking at he was still obliged to maintain the 200 foot ceiling and there is no way he could not see a moving commercial aircraft in front of his nose.
agreed.
She......
Informative, thank you for posting.
It's a sign of things to come. I mean how often do you get a collision between a Helicopter and a Plane? It's Unheard of.
What was a helicopter doing in the flight path
This happened inDC. Its very busy air space. Commercial, Military, private including Presidential.
He literally explained in the video.
inferior action hires ?
causing a crash and killing 67 people.
hitting the plain
Pilot error or instrument malfunction. Also, this was a training flight.
So, it was a literal blind spot.
So sorry for all onboard. RIP and condolences to familys, sporting family.
One problem I’ve found is that when ATC asks you to look for traffic and you find it, you tend to keep looking at it. If traffic is to your left then you can stop paying attention to what’s in front of you as you focus on the traffic or focus on trying to find it. It can be very distracting if the traffic is off to one side. If the pilot saw the wrong plane say to their right, then they could have been focused and looking right and not have seen the actual plane coming from the left in front of them. I believe from the audio ATC asks the helo a minute or so earlier about looking for different traffic that is taking off. The helo confirms visual. It’s possible as well that when ATC asked about the CRJ that the helo crew looked at the original plane and confirmed vs realizing there was a different CRJ. Just saying there’s a lot of ways this could go wrong and sadly a mistake that almost any pilot could make.
The ATC never told the helo crew to look at an aircraft taking off.. They told the helo if they had the CRJ that was at 1200ft, over the Woodrow Wilson bridge that was going to be landing on RWY 33.. That is pretty dang specific. The crew said they had that traffic in sight. Not some other traffic.. The traffic that was over bridge... If they didn't have that traffic, or were confused with other traffic, they should have brought it up with ATC.
That helicopter had no business plunging into that airplane when the other plane was way up in the air when 4352 was landing, that helicopter ran smack into the tail end of the plane. The question is what were they doing or looking at on the helicopter.
Why did ATC *_approve visual separation?_*
SOP.
Because that's how it's done
Because that's how it's been done in that area for the past 20 years
What I've learned, once again, is that Donald Trump handles everything like a spoiled brat.
Trump is Commander In Chief. This is HIS RESPONSIBILITY.
Well done explained. 👍🏻
Collision? Blackhawk helicopter blindsided a CRJ and killed everyone onboard.
Trump was firing everybody he didn’t even have an FAA director . Oops. Maybe he does need people in the government. Getting rid of 2 million people at once may not be a good idea.
ATC had 10 business days to tell the helicopter to hold still. It had enough space to turn.
Helicopter could have simply gone behind the CRJ as they were instructed to do..
0:52 oh, they say they are very big.
Helicopters flying near the departure and in bound routes of air planes (fixed wing) is a very unsafe practice and must be discontinued. This is very tragic. It's a miracle that This hasn't happened prior to last night. The current numbers of fixed wing aircraft has been increased several times during the last decade. This Collison happened during a good visibility night. The risk increase even more during lower visibility times. Fixed wing and rotor aircraft should not ever be using the same space where fixed wing aircraft are taking off and landing.
There's audio available of the flight. The guest should have maybe listened to that before commenting. It answers a lot of his "maybe" comments. A lot of folks in the comments should maybe look at some of the early pilot analysis available on YT too. Lots of outrage over common occurrences that are usually fine.
Great guest.
lolololololololol
The Blackhawk pilot said he saw the wrong plane. It was completely the fault of the Blackhawk pilot. This commentary is military cover up.
The people on the coptor were wearing night vision goggles which restricts your tunnel of vision.
With 2 planes in the Air, ATC should have been more specific..
@@kristiross8751 They did.. They told them to look at the Woodrow Wilson bridge where the CRJ was.. The pilots said they had the traffic in sight.
Long ago I witnessed another helicopter crash in the Pacific region. I don't know the details of the crash, but I saw the aftermath: 4 or 5 burnt parachute bags. After the rescuers opened the bags, they found that the parachutes were in good condition, the parachute silk (white) was in good condition, even perfect, I saw for myself that there were no traces of flame, and the parachutes were ready for the pilots to use for ejection, but the pilots did not use them or were unable to use them.
I remember that one
Major Garrett did not follow up on a couple of key points that Mr Bowman raised- 1. Why was the Black Hawk at an altitude higher than the ceiling of 200 ft.? 2. Why wasn't the ATC much more emphatic about the looming danger and why wasn't he much more direct and specific about the location of the plane presenting the danger and what evasive action needed to be taken NOW ?
I just don't understand how do you allow military air training in any proximity to an airport? Is there any other area available for that?
Reagan National needs to be redesigned to make it safer! It was a disaster waiting to happen. It's heartbreaking that it took the deaths of 67 people for them to realize that!
I'm just curious if the altimeter of the helicopter was telling the truth. I believe there is not a pilot in any circumstance that would knowingly go above the altitude limit risking a mid-air collision.
My theory is they were suicidal
Ether the helicopter was to high or he didn’t have his eyes on the correct plane.
Very simple
Both
@@davidhirschy8761 Seems like they shouldn’t have been at the altitude regardless and that altitude restriction would have been there to eliminate the chance of errors like focusing on the wrong plane
That just seems like a dumb idea to have helicopters passing directly under commercial aircraft on final approach. And 200 feet ceiling?!?! That's VERY LITTLE room for error!
Hegseth said the helicopter pilot was wearing night vision goggles. Not sure how he knew that?
Why was the helicopter at 400 ft?
Would it hurt the training or ATC to tell the helicopter to hold/hover position until the approaching CRJ passes?!! Why was it still moving forward is where I'm stuck.
Black Hawk pilot made a deadly mistake. Hopefully change will come that this never happens again. God bless the families of the 67 souls that perished. ❤
So, there was miscommunication with ATC. Who authorized the Blackhawk pilot to fly in that zone? Especially if they are aware of their normal route.
The route is used extensively by military helicopters, but due to the approach path to the airport, they're required to remain below 200 feet. For reasons not yet explained, the chopper climbed from 200 to about 350 feet, which is the apparent cause of the accident.
@jlvandat69 yes, I had just seen that. The only way they are allowed to fly at that height is if they have authorization. So, for some reason, he went outside of the original route. Who authorized it is my question 🤔
@@kathywotring9762 I'm guessing it was a "self-authorized" deviation, i.e., for some reason(s) he decided it was necessary to climb and deviate without authorization. A very odd decision by a well-trained military pilot. Hopefully, the investigation will reveal why he made this fatal mistake and we'll learn lessons to prevent a similar tragedy.
@jlvandat69 Agreed, very odd. Kind of reminds me of that well trained Special Forces soldier who not to long ago parked a rental vehicle with the intent to harm Trump. So a well trained Special Forces soldier I'm going to say would really know how to blow something up if he wanted to. Am I correct? Let's all pretend we don't see what's really going on here like they want us to, huh? Nah. I've been awakened to what these corrupt officials do. I was secret service in the US Army/Military Police. I will not blame the Blackhawk pilots or the crew because that's what they want to divert from what's really going on. Do you think your government tells you the truth and nothing but the truth, so help them through "God?"
The crash happened at 400 feet. That means the helicopter pilot was 200 feet higher than he should have been flying along that corridor. So which plane he was looking at is a moot point. He was at an altitude he should not have been at.
The Army pilot unfortunately went up from 200 feet to 300 feet in seconds after last communication
And the Army pilot was a...
Did the president even listen to the voices in the tower they asked them 3 times if they seen the plane they said yes it was there responsibility to avoid it! They must have been looking at the plane behind it! It was not a DEI or tower problem it was a tragedy.
1 controller handling both helicopters and planes. Major no no. Per reports that came into of all places, CNN.
They don't care, it's all about making political points using the dead.
DEI means "take anybody but the white man" so the Prez is trying to cull that every chance he gets because that's what he does. Not relevant in this instance, of course, as you point out. But I don't want to support the idea that culling it is misguided. Hot sports opinion here.
Well if they supposedly had the other flight in sight, how could they not have sight of one that was closer. A drone has obstacle avoidance setting, warning. Why not a Blackhawk.
I know it's easy for me to say but in a helicopter its all glass in the front so how the hell didn't they see a plane at night with its lights on? Did you watch the video it shows the chopper going right towards the plane so how could you not see it with the lights so bright at night????
Landing lights are bright looking forward. The helo struck PSA on the side where there are dimmer running lights.
Could have been looking another way, by the time pilot saw it could have been late
I saw somewhere, they were wearing night vision goggles, which restrict your tunnel of vision
The Felon-in-Chief blamed blacks and gays, instead of SAYING HE SYMPATHIZES WITH THE VICTIMS' FAMILIES!
What a horrible person.
NOT Presidential!
As a former flight instructor, I can also tell you that it can be remarkably difficult to spot another aircraft at night, especially if it is silhouetted against a backdrop of brighter city lights. Unless the aircraft is pointed right at you with the landing lights on, you might miss it.
Also, as the other commenter mentioned, the air traffic is heavy, with planes taking off and landing less than a minute apart, so the pilot may have thought he had the correct aircraft in sight when it was actually the one in front of the airliner he hit. Also, this was an evaluation/qualification flight for the helicopter pilot, and there could have been extra stress and workload from having multiple people onboard, some of them training or evaluating. It's even possible that the radio call from the helicopter wasn't made by the flying pilot, which brings in another possible complicating factor. I have also heard reports that the helo pilot may have been using night vision; I've never used it while flying, but perhaps a military chopper pilot reading this can tell us if it could have limited the pilot's vision in some respects.
the helo pilot was fixated on the plane second in line to land. he never saw the plane he hit.
wouldnt they have had to easily see the bright white lights on the plane>?
Why is a military helicpter flying in a commercial landing path
No insight at all from this interview! The helicopter were required to follow the special route, along the river bank, but flew in middle of river. it were required to stay at or below 200 feet altitude, but it flew 400 to 300 feet. This is 100 % the helicopter's fault.
US Military equipment is obsolete and defenseless vs. modern A.I. Drone Swarms.
Too many aircraft waiting to land and takeoff. This is horrible!
Why not have all traffic in these tightly packed areas under complete radar comtro?
You can't use radar under a certain altitude at any distance from the radar transmitter/receiver, , and radar doesn't distinguish altitudes of aircraft, just distance ( pretty well) and vector from center ( very well).
@steveshea6148, Thank you for clarification. Flying single engine Cessnas, we were taught to follow our instruments as night vision can be misleading.