A U.S. Military Black Hawk crew could not have heard crucial air visitors management messages instructing it to fly behind the business regional jet it in the end collided with midair at Reagan Nationwide Airport in Washington on Jan. 29, the Nationwide Transportation Security Board mentioned Friday.
Moreover, the helicopter crew could have obtained inaccurate altitude information contained in the cockpit, NTSB officers mentioned at a media briefing at NTSB headquarters concerning the ongoing investigation.
The on-scene investigation of the collision of the American Airways flight from Wichita, Kansas, and a UH-60 on a flight over the Potomac River has concluded, Jennifer Homendy, NTSB chair, mentioned. The investigation will proceed off-site in varied labs and different safe places.
When the plane collided, the fuselage of the business jet broke aside in three locations and was found inverted in waist-deep water within the Potomac. The helicopter wreckage was discovered close by. All 64 individuals aboard the passenger jet and all three Military crew members aboard the Black Hawk — Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, Cpt. Rebecca M. Lobach and Employees Sgt. Ryan Austin O’Hara — have been killed.
When requested if there was any indication the Black Hawk crew may see the approaching collision within the seconds earlier than impression, Homendy mentioned NTSB investigators “don’t have any indication” that the crew would have seen it.
Homendy additionally mentioned it’s now believed the helicopter crew have been seemingly carrying evening imaginative and prescient goggles all through the flight as a result of the check-out flight for the pilot was significantly centered on testing their skill to fly with the goggles.
“Had they been eliminated, the crew was required to have a dialogue about going unaided,” Homendy mentioned. “There is no such thing as a proof on the cockpit voice recorder, or CVR, of such a dialogue.”
The NTSB will probably be conducting a visibility examine to see what the crew would have been capable of see or not see utilizing evening imaginative and prescient goggles main as much as the collision, in line with Homendy.
Messages ‘could not have been obtained’
About two minutes earlier than the collision, at roughly 8:46 p.m. native time, a radio transmission from the tower may very well be heard on the business jet’s CVR informing the Black Hawk that simply south of the Wilson Bridge was a jet at 1,200 ft circling to its designated runway, in line with Homendy.
Knowledge from the Black Hawk’s CVR “indicated that the portion of the transmission stating the [jet] was circling could not have been obtained by the Black Hawk crew,” Homendy mentioned.
“We hear the phrase ‘circling’ in ATC [air traffic control] communications, however we don’t hear the phrase ‘circling’ on the CVR of the Black Hawk. The [NTSB] Recorders Group is evaluating this proper now,” she added.
About seven seconds later, the Black Hawk crew responded to air visitors management that they “had the visitors in sight.”
Twenty seconds earlier than the crash, “a radio transmission from the tower is audible on each CVRs asking the Black Hawk crew if the [jet] was in sight,” Homendy mentioned. “Audible within the ATC radio transmission was a battle alert within the background.”
The visitors alert and collision avoidance system on the jet obtained an automatic visitors advisory “stating ‘visitors, visitors,’” she famous.
Three seconds later, a radio transmission from the tower may very well be heard in each CVRs directing the Black Hawk to go behind the jet.
“CVR information from the Black Hawk indicated that the portion of the transmission that said ‘go behind the’ could not have been obtained by the Black Hawk crew,” Homendy mentioned. “Transmission was stepped on by a 0.8 second mic key from the Black Hawk. The Black Hawk was keying the mic to speak with ATC.”
The helicopter teacher pilot may be heard telling the pilot flying that “they consider ATC was asking for the helicopter to maneuver left towards the east financial institution of the Potomac,” Homendy added.
‘Dangerous information’
Preliminary investigations are exhibiting the pilot of the Black Hawk, flying 1.1 nautical miles west of the Key Bridge at roughly 8:43 p.m., indicated the altitude was 300 ft. The teacher pilot indicated the plane was at 400 ft.
The utmost ceiling altitude at Key Bridge is 300 ft above the terrain.
“Presently, we don’t know why there was a discrepancy between the 2,” Homendy mentioned. “That’s one thing that the investigative staff is analyzing.”
At roughly 8:44 p.m., the teacher pilot indicated the Black Hawk was flying at 300 ft and descending to 200 ft because it approached the Key Bridge.
Because the Black Hawk continued south passing over Memorial Bridge at roughly 8:45 p.m., the teacher pilot advised the pilot flying that the plane was at 300 ft and wanted to descend, in line with Homendy. The utmost ceiling for flying south of Memorial Bridge is 200 ft.
“The pilot flying mentioned they’d descend to 200 ft.”
The radio altitude of the Black Hawk upon impression with the jet was 278 ft, which it had held for the earlier 5 seconds, Homendy mentioned.
“We’re assured with the radio altitude of the Black Hawk on the time of the collision, that was 278 ft, however I need to warning that doesn’t imply that’s what the Black Hawk crew was seeing on the barometric altimeters within the cockpit,” she mentioned. “We’re seeing conflicting info within the information, which is why we aren’t releasing altitude for the Black Hawk’s complete route.”
In accordance with Sean Payne, NTSB Car Recorder Division department chief, radio altitude is gathered by bouncing a sign from the helicopter to the bottom.
“That is good information,” he mentioned.
Nevertheless, radio altitude isn’t the “major means” the helicopter pilots would have used to find out their top throughout flight, Payne mentioned.
“It’s usually totally different from what they see on their major altimeters.”
Barometric altitude that pilots use whereas flying was not recorded on the flight information recorder, or FDR, also referred to as the black field. The barometric strain setting was additionally not recorded.
Strain altitude can be one thing that helicopter methods “can faucet into,” Payne mentioned. “We’ve discovered that this parameter shouldn’t be legitimate,” Payne mentioned, referring to it as “dangerous information.”
“We’re working to find out if this dangerous information for strain altitude solely affected the FDR or if it was extra pervasive by the helicopter’s different methods.”
The investigation will present solutions to what altitude the pilots noticed of their gages as they have been flying, in line with Payne.
The lab is working with Sikorsky, Black Hawk’s maker, and Collins Aviation, which handles avionic methods, and the Military to know how the dangerous info may have affected different methods, he mentioned.
Payne mentioned the wreckage of the helicopter additionally must be examined, together with the stays of pitot-static and air information methods, which he mentioned will probably be troublesome because the methods have been “badly broken” within the collision.
The lab will even take a look at the altimeters themselves to find out unbiased performance, he famous.
“I’d wish to stress that we’ve simply accomplished the on-scene part of the investigation,” he mentioned. “We have to comply with our course of and be meticulous. In the end, this work will decide the altitude exhibited to the pilots and will probably be included in our closing report.”
Jen Judson is an award-winning journalist protecting land warfare for Protection Information. She has additionally labored for Politico and Inside Protection. She holds a Grasp of Science diploma in journalism from Boston College and a Bachelor of Arts diploma from Kenyon School.
