A newly released report from The New York Times has shed light on the potential factors contributing to the tragic mid-air collision on January 29th near Reagan National Airport, which claimed the lives of all 67 people aboard a United States Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter and a commuter airliner.
According to The New York Times, the pilot of the Black Hawk, Army Capt. Rebecca A. Lobach, reportedly failed to execute a crucial course change shortly before the deadly incident. Lobach was on an evaluation flight under the supervision of her instructor, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, who had instructed her to alter the helicopter’s trajectory. This critical instruction was not followed, the report states.
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Furthermore, the investigation suggests that Lobach also did not follow instructions regarding altitude, with the Black Hawk ascending to as high as 400 feet before the collision.
Adding to the complexity of the situation, investigators are exploring the possibility that communication breakdowns played a significant role. The New York Times reported that the Army helicopter crew may have been speaking simultaneously, potentially causing them to miss critical instructions from air traffic control at Reagan National Airport.
One such missed instruction reportedly directed the Black Hawk crew, which was simulating a mission to extract senior government officials from the District of Columbia, to pass behind the redirected commuter flight arriving from Wichita, Kansas.
The airliner had been unexpectedly rerouted to a rarely used runway at Reagan National.
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The New York Times report also highlighted a concerning history of near misses at Reagan National Airport, with pilots frequently reporting such incidents over the past few decades. The article suggests that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has been slow to address these safety concerns.
The findings of this report are likely to intensify scrutiny on air traffic control procedures, pilot training protocols, and communication systems in the vicinity of busy airports.
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