Traffic Collision Avoidance System alert prompted commercial aircraft evasive maneuver and go around just 24 hours and 40 minutes before the collision.
WHY THE HELL ARE THESE MILITARY CHOPPERS FLYING ALL OVER DC AIRSPACE FOR THE BENEFIT OF VIPs?!! Enough of this bullshit!! Get those things out of that airspace and let the VIPs take a damn ground service!!! THIS is insane!!
Some Congress critter or bureaucrats want to impress an important constituent or seduce a page or other mark regardless of whether they are of legal age or what sex they are. My guess is that this is just the to of the iceberg.
Is anyone here old enough to remember Wilbur Mills and Fannie Fox?
It just might be the worst noisiest ride of a lifetime in a black hawk chopper with all that moving metal screaming several feet from occupants and pilots. Headset is on!
Limo is usually stuck in traffic in all beltway road surfaces. DC/I395 is a parking lot
I am. And, despite the Fannie Fox (real name????) incident, I also remember that Wilbur Mills, Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee at the time, never itemized his Income Tax expenses, but used only the pre-calculated deductions because he didn't want to give even the appearance of a conflict of interest with his duties on the committee. Sadly, those days when someone would think to preserve the integrity of his/her position appear to be long gone.
I am not convinced that what I suggest is true in this case, but I am sure that stuff goes on.
However, I saw a clip of video of the moments leading up to and including the crash and, though it may be an artifact of the angle of the video, it looks like the copter was coming into the point of impact from slightly above the jet almost as if it were deliberate, but certainly indicating that it was well above the ceiling regulation.(To be clear, I am not saying that it was deliberate.
What I’ve been wondering is whether the army helo flights have been routinely exceeding the 200 ft. limit, and it just finally caught up with them. This suggests that might be the case.
As someone who spent time in an industry where safety is a priority due to the high risks involved, there was a policy that “near misses” had to be recorded, reviewed, and mitigated to prevent future accidents. A detailed review of what happened and how the accident was avoided was written up and shared at every location as part of the regular safety meetings. I don’t understand how our top tier military pilots were operating in that type of environment, where this could happen repeatedly. There are a lot of questions! I hope there are major changes here.
Who would have thought; helicopters shouldnt be in the way of commercial airliners on final approach to land. That airspace should belong to airliners and planes. The air traffic controller had a lot more to say to the aircraft 24 hours earlier; what changed ?
I read the best article this morning in Gateway Pundit on this accident.
"*The single-greatest error in this accident was the decision to fly without a second Crew Chief on the left-hand side of the Blackhawk, who could have provided an extra set of eyes to “look out-and-up” to see the approaching American Airlines Passenger plane.
*Night Vision Goggle (NVG) flights result in a sort-of “tunnel vision” for all who wear the NVGs and normal policy in many Army flight units is to force a full crew of 2 pilots and 2 crew chiefs for all NVG flights, so that you always have “eyes out” to both sides of the aircraft, when flying in those conditions. While not mandatory, it is the proper safety call, especially when flying in the vicinity of a busy, major airport such as Reagan Airport (DCA). No matter how competent the pilots and Crew Chiefs may be, this flight needed a second Crew Chief on the left side of the chopper.
*The front-left pilot, even if not wearing Night Vision Goggles, would still have limited visibility out the left door, and if that pilot is busy with radio calls, or referencing the map/GPS, that pilot could get consumed by work inside the cockpit, instead of looking out and around.
*Flight Unit Leadership failed to recognize the need for a second Crew Chief in the Mission Planning and Risk Assessment Process. This is where either incompetence, or DEI (or both), may have come into play. This was certainly poor leadership.
*Known mistakes by the Blackhawk Flight Crew point to a lack of experience and/or competence. We’ve heard in the media that both pilots were “experienced.” This is just not true. Someone is “blowing smoke” to the media, to President Trump, and to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, to “cover their ass.” The collective level of experience of the pilots was not impressive. Their level of experience is like comparing a rookie in the NFL to a second-year player. The pilot had the experience of a second-year player, while the co-pilot was a rookie. This was NOT an experienced crew to be flying at night, near a major airport, without a second crew chief.
*Radio calls were not responded to by the Blackhawk crew, and they flew at 350 Feet above ground level (AGL), whereas reports say they were supposed to fly at 200 Feet AGL. These two mistakes alone show that the crew were not as experienced or professional as reported to President Trump, Defense Secretary Hegseth, or the media.
*The Instructor Pilot may have been too inexperienced for this “Annual Evaluation” flight, as mistakes were clearly made during the course of the flight (that are assumed to have been made by the junior pilot being evaluated). Why didn’t the Instructor Pilot notice they were flying too high and off course? That points to his lack of experience. If there had been a second Crew Chief, he could have noticed these mistakes and warned the pilots.
*The Flight Unit Commanders must share the blame, and they’re still alive! There is a 12th Aviation Battalion commander of that B Company, and I don’t know who that is, but this individual was the first leader in the chain of events for the Mission Plan and Risk Assessment to get signed off and approved. This B Company commander should be asked why they did not enforce a second Crew Chief to be on that flight.
*Accident sequences for these types of accidents begin in “Mission Planning,” when first selecting the time you will fly, where you will fly for the Annual Evaluation, and what crew members will be on the flight. Any of the Leaders in that unit’s Chain of Command could have demanded that this flight have two Crew Chiefs aboard the aircraft, due to NVG flying conditions, plus the busy airspace of Reagan airport.
*An experienced, thoughtful leader knows when to “raise the standard” and force the mission to have that second Crew Chief aboard the aircraft. This was clearly one of those moments, and both the B Company Commander and the 12th Aviation Battalion Commander failed to see through this risk problem and impose their own “Risk Reduction” to include a second Crew Chief to manage the left-hand side of the Blackhawk.
*In my opinion, even with all these mistakes that were made, a Crew Chief on the left side of the Blackhawk would still have saved them in that last 20 seconds when that American Airlines flight was approaching on the left-hand side. A Crew Chief in that seat would have warned the pilots to turn and descend immediately.
This accident was completely avoidable. Thank you to my friend Colonel Joe for this thoughtful analysis."
There's no guarantee that another crew chief would have mattered, in fact I'd guess that would have a 20% chance of mattering. It's risky anyway you look at it. No helicopter should be in the airspace above the Potomac leading to the approach to Reagan, especially at night.
Here's some government clarity (reminiscent of withholding Michael Bird's name after the murder of Ashley Babbitt):
"A U.S. military official told NPR on Friday that at the request of the family the Army is not going to release the name of the female member of the three-person helicopter crew."
"A U.S. military official told NPR on Friday that at the request of the family the Army is not going to release the name of the female member of the three-person helicopter crew."
If true, that is a red flag. And there is the problem.
"Defense officials, who were not authorized to speak publicly, told NPR that the instructor pilot, now believed to be Chief Warrant Officer Eaves, had 1,000 hours of flight time, which is considered experienced. The co-pilot, whose name is being withheld, had 500 hours, which is considered normal.
Officials also tell NPR that the Black Hawk was supposed to be flying at a maximum of 200 feet, though sources say it was flying at least 100 feet higher. All requested anonymity given the sensitivity of the investigation."
This event so closely mirroring the tragic crash, and the fact that the helicopter climbed to 300' AFTER the warning, gives me the impression that these choppers were sent out with intent to collide. The first one missed, the second one hit the target. I just don't know how you'd get 3 American soldiers to sign up for a suicide mission.
John, given that you've likely only looked into this for 24 hours imagine how many of these incidents you will find if you look for a week. As I've been saying in your comments, this is 100% a protocol issue and likely the only reason there's been no collision so far is a mixture of luck and no DEI in the military. I think it was you who reported on the number of women who would have washed out of jet fighter training the first week or two if they weren't...women. Or do I have you confused with another Substacker?
I asked AI if military helicopters can be seen by commercial flights? "No, most military helicopters will not show up on the radar of commercial flights because they typically do not broadcast the same type of transponder signal (ADS-B) used by civilian aircraft, meaning they are not readily visible on standard flight tracking apps or radar systems used by commercial pilots; however, in certain situations, they might appear briefly depending on the radar system and the military aircraft's setting" If this is the case then I believe it is contributing to the problems. When I checked Flightradar24 for 00-26860 it did not show the path ("sorry could not find data for specific flight") whereas the last flight for AA5342 was shown. From a commercial aircraft the visibility is limited and one depends on radar. IMO
You can find MLAT & Mode-S on other services that do show the Blackhawks when they are transmitting in one of those modes (when they don't transmit ADS-B or aren't totally silent). I reviewed the history on one such site and it indicated that the barometric altimeter of the Blackhawk was registering 200' AMSL just before the impact but they were actually at same level as the passenger jet (≈400' AMSL). For there to be back-to-back nights of similar conduct, is someone tampering with the Blackhawks' barometric altimeter?
I am not to sure how accurate these tracking systems are. My only point is that I don't believe the AA piolet would have known the helicopter was in the area if the signal did not show up on his radar.
utterly irresponsible to have such a cluster#$*# in the nation's capital. they've gotten too lenient because nothing happened. likely macho army pilots and ATCs who were told to deal with it.
Once again, I ask....
WHY THE HELL ARE THESE MILITARY CHOPPERS FLYING ALL OVER DC AIRSPACE FOR THE BENEFIT OF VIPs?!! Enough of this bullshit!! Get those things out of that airspace and let the VIPs take a damn ground service!!! THIS is insane!!
Some Congress critter or bureaucrats want to impress an important constituent or seduce a page or other mark regardless of whether they are of legal age or what sex they are. My guess is that this is just the to of the iceberg.
Is anyone here old enough to remember Wilbur Mills and Fannie Fox?
It just might be the worst noisiest ride of a lifetime in a black hawk chopper with all that moving metal screaming several feet from occupants and pilots. Headset is on!
Limo is usually stuck in traffic in all beltway road surfaces. DC/I395 is a parking lot
A fast motorcycle fixes all that on a nice day
I am. And, despite the Fannie Fox (real name????) incident, I also remember that Wilbur Mills, Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee at the time, never itemized his Income Tax expenses, but used only the pre-calculated deductions because he didn't want to give even the appearance of a conflict of interest with his duties on the committee. Sadly, those days when someone would think to preserve the integrity of his/her position appear to be long gone.
And yes, those days are long gone.
Real names born: Annabel Edith Villagra, m: Battistella; m2: Montgomery
Your explanation makes a lot of sense. D.C. swamp creatures have egos so big, they should have zip codes.
I am not convinced that what I suggest is true in this case, but I am sure that stuff goes on.
However, I saw a clip of video of the moments leading up to and including the crash and, though it may be an artifact of the angle of the video, it looks like the copter was coming into the point of impact from slightly above the jet almost as if it were deliberate, but certainly indicating that it was well above the ceiling regulation.(To be clear, I am not saying that it was deliberate.
"Get those things out of that airspace and let the VIPs take a damn ground service!!! THIS is insane!!"
Exactly correct. Let them take an Uber.
Or, here’s a crazy idea - let them buy their own car, gas, and drive themselves. Like we all have to do.
What I’ve been wondering is whether the army helo flights have been routinely exceeding the 200 ft. limit, and it just finally caught up with them. This suggests that might be the case.
Bring Back Common Sense Again! Thank you for your great work, John Leake.
As someone who spent time in an industry where safety is a priority due to the high risks involved, there was a policy that “near misses” had to be recorded, reviewed, and mitigated to prevent future accidents. A detailed review of what happened and how the accident was avoided was written up and shared at every location as part of the regular safety meetings. I don’t understand how our top tier military pilots were operating in that type of environment, where this could happen repeatedly. There are a lot of questions! I hope there are major changes here.
DEI & Congress Critters showing off to/for their underage trafficked playthings.
Maybe not all of them, but I am going to bet that it’s not unheard of.
Who would have thought; helicopters shouldnt be in the way of commercial airliners on final approach to land. That airspace should belong to airliners and planes. The air traffic controller had a lot more to say to the aircraft 24 hours earlier; what changed ?
No brainer, John.
F the VIP privilege. Put them on a military 🚌 bus.
What the hell were they doing there? Why were they allowed to be there? Do they actually obey any rules? Unbelievable.
I read the best article this morning in Gateway Pundit on this accident.
"*The single-greatest error in this accident was the decision to fly without a second Crew Chief on the left-hand side of the Blackhawk, who could have provided an extra set of eyes to “look out-and-up” to see the approaching American Airlines Passenger plane.
*Night Vision Goggle (NVG) flights result in a sort-of “tunnel vision” for all who wear the NVGs and normal policy in many Army flight units is to force a full crew of 2 pilots and 2 crew chiefs for all NVG flights, so that you always have “eyes out” to both sides of the aircraft, when flying in those conditions. While not mandatory, it is the proper safety call, especially when flying in the vicinity of a busy, major airport such as Reagan Airport (DCA). No matter how competent the pilots and Crew Chiefs may be, this flight needed a second Crew Chief on the left side of the chopper.
*The front-left pilot, even if not wearing Night Vision Goggles, would still have limited visibility out the left door, and if that pilot is busy with radio calls, or referencing the map/GPS, that pilot could get consumed by work inside the cockpit, instead of looking out and around.
*Flight Unit Leadership failed to recognize the need for a second Crew Chief in the Mission Planning and Risk Assessment Process. This is where either incompetence, or DEI (or both), may have come into play. This was certainly poor leadership.
*Known mistakes by the Blackhawk Flight Crew point to a lack of experience and/or competence. We’ve heard in the media that both pilots were “experienced.” This is just not true. Someone is “blowing smoke” to the media, to President Trump, and to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, to “cover their ass.” The collective level of experience of the pilots was not impressive. Their level of experience is like comparing a rookie in the NFL to a second-year player. The pilot had the experience of a second-year player, while the co-pilot was a rookie. This was NOT an experienced crew to be flying at night, near a major airport, without a second crew chief.
*Radio calls were not responded to by the Blackhawk crew, and they flew at 350 Feet above ground level (AGL), whereas reports say they were supposed to fly at 200 Feet AGL. These two mistakes alone show that the crew were not as experienced or professional as reported to President Trump, Defense Secretary Hegseth, or the media.
*The Instructor Pilot may have been too inexperienced for this “Annual Evaluation” flight, as mistakes were clearly made during the course of the flight (that are assumed to have been made by the junior pilot being evaluated). Why didn’t the Instructor Pilot notice they were flying too high and off course? That points to his lack of experience. If there had been a second Crew Chief, he could have noticed these mistakes and warned the pilots.
*The Flight Unit Commanders must share the blame, and they’re still alive! There is a 12th Aviation Battalion commander of that B Company, and I don’t know who that is, but this individual was the first leader in the chain of events for the Mission Plan and Risk Assessment to get signed off and approved. This B Company commander should be asked why they did not enforce a second Crew Chief to be on that flight.
*Accident sequences for these types of accidents begin in “Mission Planning,” when first selecting the time you will fly, where you will fly for the Annual Evaluation, and what crew members will be on the flight. Any of the Leaders in that unit’s Chain of Command could have demanded that this flight have two Crew Chiefs aboard the aircraft, due to NVG flying conditions, plus the busy airspace of Reagan airport.
*An experienced, thoughtful leader knows when to “raise the standard” and force the mission to have that second Crew Chief aboard the aircraft. This was clearly one of those moments, and both the B Company Commander and the 12th Aviation Battalion Commander failed to see through this risk problem and impose their own “Risk Reduction” to include a second Crew Chief to manage the left-hand side of the Blackhawk.
*In my opinion, even with all these mistakes that were made, a Crew Chief on the left side of the Blackhawk would still have saved them in that last 20 seconds when that American Airlines flight was approaching on the left-hand side. A Crew Chief in that seat would have warned the pilots to turn and descend immediately.
This accident was completely avoidable. Thank you to my friend Colonel Joe for this thoughtful analysis."
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/01/wayne-root-here-is-best-explanation-ive-heard/
There's no guarantee that another crew chief would have mattered, in fact I'd guess that would have a 20% chance of mattering. It's risky anyway you look at it. No helicopter should be in the airspace above the Potomac leading to the approach to Reagan, especially at night.
I totally agree with you.
A flight over the Potomac would ensure any evidence of foul play would be irretrievable.
Also a night flight.
🎯
Yup, I was reading about it. No one saw any bodies fall from that one, per chance?
Why are helicopters allowed there is the first place? Don’t understand. Isn’t this a very busy airport? Seems very dangerous. Well now we know it is.
Here's some government clarity (reminiscent of withholding Michael Bird's name after the murder of Ashley Babbitt):
"A U.S. military official told NPR on Friday that at the request of the family the Army is not going to release the name of the female member of the three-person helicopter crew."
https://www.npr.org/2025/01/30/nx-s1-5281246/pentagon-jet-military-helicopter-collision
"A U.S. military official told NPR on Friday that at the request of the family the Army is not going to release the name of the female member of the three-person helicopter crew."
If true, that is a red flag. And there is the problem.
Then don't pay them any death benefits!
A very informative link. Thanks, CB.
A quote:
"Defense officials, who were not authorized to speak publicly, told NPR that the instructor pilot, now believed to be Chief Warrant Officer Eaves, had 1,000 hours of flight time, which is considered experienced. The co-pilot, whose name is being withheld, had 500 hours, which is considered normal.
Officials also tell NPR that the Black Hawk was supposed to be flying at a maximum of 200 feet, though sources say it was flying at least 100 feet higher. All requested anonymity given the sensitivity of the investigation."
This event so closely mirroring the tragic crash, and the fact that the helicopter climbed to 300' AFTER the warning, gives me the impression that these choppers were sent out with intent to collide. The first one missed, the second one hit the target. I just don't know how you'd get 3 American soldiers to sign up for a suicide mission.
MK-ULTRA?
John, given that you've likely only looked into this for 24 hours imagine how many of these incidents you will find if you look for a week. As I've been saying in your comments, this is 100% a protocol issue and likely the only reason there's been no collision so far is a mixture of luck and no DEI in the military. I think it was you who reported on the number of women who would have washed out of jet fighter training the first week or two if they weren't...women. Or do I have you confused with another Substacker?
I asked AI if military helicopters can be seen by commercial flights? "No, most military helicopters will not show up on the radar of commercial flights because they typically do not broadcast the same type of transponder signal (ADS-B) used by civilian aircraft, meaning they are not readily visible on standard flight tracking apps or radar systems used by commercial pilots; however, in certain situations, they might appear briefly depending on the radar system and the military aircraft's setting" If this is the case then I believe it is contributing to the problems. When I checked Flightradar24 for 00-26860 it did not show the path ("sorry could not find data for specific flight") whereas the last flight for AA5342 was shown. From a commercial aircraft the visibility is limited and one depends on radar. IMO
You can find MLAT & Mode-S on other services that do show the Blackhawks when they are transmitting in one of those modes (when they don't transmit ADS-B or aren't totally silent). I reviewed the history on one such site and it indicated that the barometric altimeter of the Blackhawk was registering 200' AMSL just before the impact but they were actually at same level as the passenger jet (≈400' AMSL). For there to be back-to-back nights of similar conduct, is someone tampering with the Blackhawks' barometric altimeter?
I am not to sure how accurate these tracking systems are. My only point is that I don't believe the AA piolet would have known the helicopter was in the area if the signal did not show up on his radar.
utterly irresponsible to have such a cluster#$*# in the nation's capital. they've gotten too lenient because nothing happened. likely macho army pilots and ATCs who were told to deal with it.
Given the performance of the Federal and city governments over the past four years, CFs are what we expect in DC.
"Given the performance of the Federal and city governments over the past four years, CFs are what we expect in DC."
It's been decades...not four years.
I know--didn't want to bash 2017-2020.
Macho? Kamikaze!
Time for big heads to roll!