Yesterday’s military Black Hawk helicopter involved in the air crash in the skies of Washington may have flown off its approved flight route, at an altitude higher than allowed and at least 800 meters from the designated route. This was reported by the New York Times, citing four sources familiar with the matter but not authorized to speak publicly.
If confirmed, this deviation – as reported by the Nyt and CNN – raises serious concerns about compliance with flight regulations in the moments leading up to the incident. The possibility was mentioned yesterday by Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois after being informed by the Federal Aviation Administration.
“This particular Black Hawk was subject to visual flight rules; they had to provide separation from the landing plane, they were responsible for it,” Duckworth told CNN. Duckworth emphasized the need to determine if the helicopter was on its correct route.
Meanwhile, the two black boxes related to the incident between the passenger plane and the helicopter have been found. This was reported by US media. The cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder of the small airliner have been recovered by investigators in the icy waters of the Potomac River. The two black boxes are now under review by the American Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), tasked with determining the origins of this deadly air crash: the deadliest in the United States in over 20 years. NTSB officials have so far emphasized that they do not have “sufficient evidence” to determine or rule out the causes, stating that they plan to release a preliminary report “within 30 days.”
Two Chinese citizens were also on board the crashed plane, as reported today by the Xinhua news agency citing the Chinese embassy in the United States. “After a preliminary investigation,” the embassy announced that two Chinese citizens are “among the victims” of the air disaster, as reported by Xinhua.
Just 24 hours before the collision, another jet attempting to land had to make a second approach after a helicopter appeared near its flight path, according to an air traffic control audio recording. The plane – Republic Airways flight 4514 – eventually landed safely, as shown by flight tracking maps. This was revealed by the Washington Post.
The spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, expressed “sincere condolences to the families (of the victims) and to all Americans” for the Washington plane disaster, which claimed the lives of 67 people, including some Russian citizens. This was reported by Tass. The agency recalled that on board the plane were former world figure skating champions Evgenia Shishkova and her husband Vadim Naumov, as well as former Soviet skater Inna Volyanskaya. All three worked as coaches in the United States.
Agenzia ANSAEx campioni russi e tanti pattinatori tra i morti – Notizie – Ansa.it
Pattini ai piedi, sorridenti con un gruppo di amici davanti ad uno Starbucks o seri in pista vestiti di lustrini e pronti ad esibirsi. Sono le ultime immagini pubblicate sui social media da Spencer Lane e Jinna Han, i due atleti di 16 anni morti nello scontro (ANSA)
Expert Opinion: ‘Pilots Had No Warning of the Collision’
According to an aviation expert, in yesterday’s air disaster, the American Airlines pilots involved likely had no advance warning of the impending collision with the military helicopter as night visibility is extremely limited. This was stated by an expert consulted by CNN. “Based on what we have seen so far, I would say that these pilots were not aware of an impending disaster. I don’t think they realized it. If they had, they would have taken evasive action,” said Alan Armstrong, a specialized lawyer. “Flying at night, in fact, reduces visual capacity by about 90%. Night vision (of the pilots) is greatly diminished,” added Armstrong. The Traffic Collision Avoidance System, or TCAS, a crucial safety tool for pilots, is primarily designed to work effectively at altitudes above 1,000-1,500 feet but becomes less effective near the ground, Armstrong explained. At the lower altitude where the collision occurred, key collision avoidance system functions are disabled to prevent commands that could prompt pilots to make dangerous maneuvers near the ground, stated the expert cited by CNN.
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