The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recently kicked off its first round of hearings regarding the January 29 crash between a Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines commercial plane near Washington, D.C.
The collision, which took the lives of 67 people, including an NYPD officer, has exposed critical failures within both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the U.S. Army, particularly when it comes to the handling of air traffic, the safety of flight routes, and equipment malfunctions.
The NTSB’s findings revealed that the Army helicopter’s faulty altitude readings played a significant role in the crash.
Despite the Black Hawk’s altimeter showing that it was only 100 feet off its actual altitude, investigators found that the aircraft was flying 80 to 100 feet higher than the pilot believed, placing it dangerously close to the commercial plane.
This discrepancy in altitude, combined with inadequate separation between aircraft at a busy airport, set the stage for disaster.
Chairwoman of the NTSB, Jennifer Homendy, expressed frustration at the lack of responsibility taken by both the FAA and Army representatives, calling the situation a “bureaucratic nightmare” and adding that “people are so critical of the federal government because you can’t ensure safety.”
The hearings further uncovered a pattern of miscommunication and insufficient oversight.
Air traffic controllers had warned of hazards posed by helicopter traffic near Ronald Reagan National Airport for years, but no action was taken by the FAA to address the risks.
In fact, despite 85 near-misses at the airport in just three years leading up to the crash, the FAA had not updated routes or warned pilots of potential dangers.
“The fact that we have less than 500 feet separation is a concern for me,” Scott Rosengren, chief engineer at the Army’s utility helicopter division, remarked during the hearings.
Rosengren suggests that the solution is to retire the older Black Hawk models and replace them with newer, more reliable aircraft.
Even more troubling was the failure to use effective safety technology.
The Army routinely flew helicopters around Washington without critical locating equipment, known as ADS-B Out, turned on.
To make matters worse, when this equipment was turned on, it was often improperly installed, rendering it useless.
Only after the crash did the Army begin to address these issues, reprogramming their ADS-B units and sending out alerts about the malfunction.
While air traffic controllers were busy coordinating between numerous planes, helicopters, and medical aircraft, the communications were chaotic.
Due to limitations in technology, such as helicopters only hearing messages from other helicopters and planes only hearing messages from other planes, critical transmissions were “stepped on.”
They were essentially lost due to other competing transmissions.
This further contributed to the confusion in the two minutes leading up to the crash.
Even though the FAA had ample warnings from air traffic controllers about potential safety risks, the agency’s response has been underwhelming.
Instead of addressing these clear signals of trouble, the FAA transferred managers out of the tower following the incident, rather than taking responsibility for the systemic failures.
During the hearings, the NTSB also raised concerns about the use of night-vision goggles (NVGs) on the helicopter.
While NVGs can aid pilots in low-light conditions, they also restrict the pilot’s field of vision, making it harder to spot nearby aircraft.
This, combined with all of the other failures, could have been a key factor in the tragic collision.
In response to the mounting evidence, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) introduced new legislation aimed at fixing some of these issues.
Cruz’s bill would require all aircraft operators to use both ADS-B Out and ADS-B In technology to improve aircraft visibility and communication.
This legislation seeks to eliminate the exemptions that currently allow Department of Defense aircraft to operate without fully functioning ADS-B systems.
“We’ve been recommending this for decades,” said Homendy, emphasizing the need for comprehensive safety measures to prevent future disasters.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy also expressed support for the bill.
Duffy stated that while there may be “a few tweaks” needed, it represents “the right approach” to solving these aviation safety issues.
As the investigations into the crash continue, the spotlight remains on the failure of the FAA and the U.S. Army to implement proper safety measures, despite numerous warnings and clear evidence that these issues had been ongoing for years.
With the added complexities of military aircraft and miscommunication at the airport, this tragic accident highlights the urgent need for reform in U.S. aviation safety protocols, particularly in and around high-traffic areas like Washington, D.C.
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