President Trump is delivering remarks from the White House Brady Press briefing room in the aftermath of a terrible aviation disaster.
The FAA said the midair crash occurred before 9 pm EST. American Airlines Flight 5342 was inbound to Reagan National at an altitude of about 400 feet (122 meters) and a speed of about 140 mph (225 kph) when it rapidly lost altitude over the Potomac River, according to data from its radio transponder. The Canadian-made Bombardier CRJ-701 twin-engine jet, manufactured in 2004, can be configured to carry up to 70 passengers.
A few minutes before landing, air traffic controllers asked the arriving commercial jet if it could land on the shorter Runway 33 at Reagan National and the pilots said they were able. Controllers then cleared the plane to land on Runway 33. Flight-tracking sites showed the plane adjust its approach to the new runway.
Less than 30 seconds before the crash, an air traffic controller asked the helicopter if it had the arriving plane in sight. The controller made another radio call to the helicopter moments later: “PAT 25 pass behind the CRJ.” Seconds after that, the two aircraft collided.
.
Very impressed with the three young men who got up and made no excuses and were immediately working on this accident minutes after it happened. Along with the Pres. who appointed them, they presented a very confident, sincere and honest, but not arrogant, team and as awful as this crash was, I am heartened by what I saw and heard today. God be with those people who lost their lives and with their families.
Not an accident. Somebody was at fault and the only way to prevent future crashes is to identify the reason.
Someone being at fault and an accident are not mutually exclusive.
It’s an accident until proven it was done on purpose. I’m going with a very sad and unfortunate mistake that caused a devastating accident until proof appears that makes it otherwise.
Don’t allow military pilots to practice flying over busy commercial airports at night!
Seems like common sense to me.
Yet, needed competence in such flying is exactly why such training is done.
Exactly
I flew into a bunch of busy airports at night as a rotary wing aviator. A pilot is a pilot and all know how to abide by the rules.
Training is just about any night flight that isn’t combat zone or govt co-opted. Every domestic flight I took was likely labeled training.
And, amazingly, they didn’t blame global warming.
Many people believed that if an America airliner had been hit, it would have been by a smuggled in Iranian missile.
Few thought it would be by a DOD helicopter.
Well they’d be idiots then because why on earth would Iran ever do that in the first place? Seriously. Do those idiots who believe that truly think the Iranian leadership is so fantical they’d willingly destroy their own civilisation which has been around for thousands of years, just because they really hate America and Americans? Why are idiots who believe that so unaware that EVERYTHING they believe about Iran is a result of DECADES of propaganda specifically designed to make idiots like them believe something as ridiculous as the scenario you just enunciated? Have these idiots never heard about what the CIA has been doing with the American media for decades? Have these idiots never even heard of Project Mockingbird?
I hope you realize there are two different people groups and civilizations that co-exist in Iran. The Persians are the ones with the several thousand year old civilization. The Arab Muslims are about a 1300 year old “civilization” which I use loosely. The Muslims are in charge and they have a belief that they need to usher in their “savior” and if that takes destroying their “Muslim” civilization so be it.
Yes. How pray tell did the Arab Muslims get to be in charge? Could it be because when the US-backed Shah became such an a-hole to his own people he was overthrown because the US had let him be an a-hole to his own people because the US wanted to have Iran’s oil and the US didn’t care about how the Shah was treating his own people? The US could have easily pressured the Shah not be quite such an a-hole towards his own people at any time, but the US didn’t care about that because all it wanted was to keep Iran’s oil flowing into its own coffers, didn’t it.
So when Mossadegh was overthrown in 1953 and the Shah was installed, it was always clear that the CIA engineered the coup d’etat. “On the 60th anniversary of the 1953 military coup in Iran that overthrew the government of radical nationalist Mohammad Mossadegh, the US has declassified documents detailing how the CIA’s secret operation brought the country’s Shah back to power.”
The reason why the students went into the US embassy in the first place in the 1970’s, is because the US embassy was the home base for the CIA-led resistance to the govt which replaced the Shah. But the CIA of course has never told the American people that was the real reason you guys had your hostage situation back then, because the CIA never tells you people the truth about anything, does it.
If America just kept its dirty little CIA-sponsored fingers out of everybody else’s countries, America would find lo, all of a sudden no one hates America anymore, but instead, America’s CIA keeps doing that, such as its latest, in Ukraine, in 2014, which installed a govt which has led Ukraine to conflict with Russia. Meanwhile, vast numbers of ignorant Americans sail blithely along, avidly absorbing CIA propaganda about how Russia invaded because it hates Ukraine’s freedom, or something equally ridiculous.
You are clueless … Carter destroyed Iran … he betrayed the Shah & allowed rabid Islamic Muslims to take over.
Read this.
https://raymcgovern.com/2019/11/04/our-misunderstanding-of-the-hostage-crisis-still-poisons-us-iran-relations/
Carter was a spineless idiot. We should have started sinking oil platforms 1 per day once the Embassy was overrun. Repeat until we had all our people back.
Probably should have taken out the Clerics at the same time, but that’s looking back from 2025.
Reminds me of the latest…….🤔🤔
HTS leader who had a million dollar
bounty. ….helps US and “others “
overthrow Syria Assad.
Now the bounty is gone, he is now sporting
Amani Suits and being promoted as the
new hero!
🤦♀️ 🤦♀️
…and BiBi…is sooo happy to have him as new neighbor..instead of the pesky Dr.Assad…..
Right on CIA.
Otherwise you are being dishonest by not acknowledging the White Revolution. Those were democratizing reforms Khomeini detested.
Misinformation/propaganda is what it is no matter who spreads it.
Pack sand…errrr……a-hole.
Read the above article.
Nixon was selling US Navy DDS Spruance Class destroyers and F-15 fighter jets to Shah Reza Pahlavi, King of Iran, cuz Nixon had designated him as our ME peace keeper so American boys wouldn’t get caught in another sand box war mistake like Viet Nam was.
I know cuz I worked building those ships at Litton’s Ingalls Shipyard as a college student and later on the Shah’s PR account when he invested $ 200 million from Iran’s Bank Omran to build the “Canal Place” development in New Orleans.
I met members of his family in NOLA biz meetings and parties.
He was the world’s wealthiest man then and he gave us gold Krugrrands as ‘Thank You’ mementos.
Each time Pahlavi raised the price of OPEC oil that he controlled, the price of the destroyers and F-15s went up, equally.
D’himmi’s Carter ruined the peace Nixon had set up and is responsible for the many ME wars and terrorism that have occured since Carter stabbed the Shah in the back.
Carter was the worst ever, maybe even a Traitor!
F-14s.
btw…you heard the title of the Shahs last book…right?
I ran.
Just a little humor.
Iran is a terror state that should have at the least its nukes bombed because it has daily threatened annihilation of USA and others.
Read the above article.
I’m familiar with the history.
It’s the absolutist history you summarized that is emblematic of what does not wax well.
The ME has been a meddling pool for multiple intrigues for a long time.
It’s not any one party.
Apologies for my own excess. Your language was so certain – for a context that is much more complex.
I appreciate there are immense subtleties in esp the ME political scene. It’s just that it’s hard to take all of it fully into account in a few hundred words about a point issue under discussion on a blog, esp when it’s not the main topic of the thread. But I do take your point about my language of certainty, it’s something I know I’m guilty of. I do it for the sake of clarity, if you’re equivocal then the point you’re making sometimes gets lost, is why I word things the way I do. But I do recognise it makes me come across as a loudmouth. Your point is well made, and heard.
lol…hello CIA
How many country Iran invaded….????? past 260 yrs…..none…
The destabilization of the ME has root much deeper than the shat and 1953, think those Fabian socialist post WW1 carving up the world – not just CIA! The French and British made quite a mess too! Granted, although there was a whole lot of political upheaval and communist &anti revolt going on , in the sad tale tis a bit more complex, nefarious, greedy and involves many countries and ideologies – including tribal factions of fascist Arabs.
thank you.
Putin during this interview……
👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👆 👆 👆
Sums it up perfectly!!
Putin & Gen. Wesley Clark on destruction of the Middle East – YouTube
👆 👆 👆 13 minutes….General Clark at end.
baloney, everyday Iran threatens existential destruction to others and enables terror, I am surprised that no one has nuked them preemptively as a precaution to their own demise. They must be fanatical idiots because if it had been anyone but Carter in 1979 they would have been toast then. Since then they have fanatically provoked others many times. If it were me I would prefer to err on the side of caution and liquidate them before they liquidate me. Their current “civilization” is the opposite of the the historical Persian Empire. Your rant is ridiculous.
https://raymcgovern.com/2019/11/04/our-misunderstanding-of-the-hostage-crisis-still-poisons-us-iran-relations/
Read that and then come back and explain to all of us here exactly and precisely what is factually incorrect about anything at all in it. If you don’t do that I’ll just have to conclude you have no basis for any of the posts you’ve made on this particular sub-thread.
And one should accept Stephen Kinzer, exulted NY Times scribbler and Brown University academic stud, as the last word and an unbiased authority?
Yea…attacking the person rather than the message – but that’s popular sport around these parts.
I don’t care who says it, the only relevant issue is: is what he says correct, or not, yes, or no?
Because he does seem to accurately describe how many Americans see the hostage situation, and there’s nothing in the explanation he proffers that is inaccurate, AFAIK. He may not touch on all facets relevant, but who cares. He wasn’t writing a doctoral thesis on the hostage crisis, it was a few hundred words pointing out a facet of the situation that many to most Americans either don’t know or choose to deliberately overlook for their own reasons. That’s fine, in my book.
I’m not sure of all the idiots you describe but I am sure of a lot of ignorance.
Didn’t need an Iranian missile to accomplish that before either.
TWA Flight 800 in 1996 was likely shot down by the U.S. Navy. The FBI naturally was all over convincing the witnesses that they did not see an apparent missile causing the explosion.
Exactly … 2 witnesses in particular for me … a military officer & a new mother feeding her infant.
Exact same description:
•Officer: technical terms with coordinates
•Mother: non-technical description of bright fireworks launched from a specific shoreline area, that arched high above the water into the night sky.
•Both: technical & non-technical description of a “MASSIVE EXPLOSION”
Never saw or heard from either again … hope they were not FBI’d.
Who or what was the helicopter pilot ??
Why have we not seen the helo crew photos yet. More information would be welcome.
Crew Chief of Black Hawk Helicopter and American Airlines Pilots in Deadly Mid-Air Collision Identified
AND
A preliminary FAA report indicated that staffing at the DCA Air Traffic Control tower was “not normal” at the time of the helicopter-plane collision.
According to NBC News, at the time of the collision, one controller was overseeing both helicopter and airplane traffic.
Typically, one controller focuses on helicopter activity.
Per Gateway Pundit.
The known 2 MANPADS..smuggled through southern border?
Shawn Ryan during podcast after cyber truck Vegas bomb,
he and he guest were discussing them.💁♀️
Combine that bit of information with Columbian
trained and well equipped Mercenaries now
reportedly working with Mexican Cartels.💁♀️
We definitely need to be getting our US Troops
back home and on Our border.
Bring those ME troops back to protect Our American
border….and Our American Security 🇺🇸🇺🇸
Why is Colombia the World’s Largest Exporter of Mercenaries? – YouTube
👆 👆 👆 👆 History Legends…..
New information.
@shipwreckedcrew
“One of the reasons there is so much traffic over DCA is residents of DC and No. Virginia have complained for years about noise. That includes a lot of members of Congress and senior Exec. Branch officials.
So flights arriving and departing are required to “Fly the River” under certain altitutes in order to avoid passing over residential neighborhoods. That leads to an approach that has a lot of turns in it.
Having helicopters fly the river going to opposite direction has always been an accident waiting to happen.”
Truth.
Mil Command’s position on mil aircraft safety probably Appears as:
“Yeah, it could happen, but if it ain’t broke, we ain’t fixing it on my watch,… unless and until a Mil chopper and an airliner collide over the river,.. then we’ll assess the problem and Fix the blame,… I have spoken, that is all!”. /s
Some of those Mil Gold Top Black Hawks are private ferrys for WDC Deep State Big Whigs,.. so there’s plenty of blame to go around now.
The above is very likely going to be the explanation. The controller neglected to inform the copter that the CRJ had been changed to runway 33, and then compounded that by not directing the copter to look left to sight acquire the CRJ coming in to runway 33 instead of runway 1.
If you are able listen to the whole communication with the Helo, he was contacted 3 times, told in detail CRJ circling to land at 33 and verified he held visually in sight. The last communication was just before collision when ATC was alerted to the proximity. This was 100% on the helo.
Sounds like what happened
Thanks for this.
My brother is a USAF Maj Gen, ret, who began flying when his feet could reach the rudders, maybe 11 of 12? Was a fighter pilot most of those years. Here are his comments:
“The helicopter flies in designated corridors.
And the corridors have specified altitudes at which they must operate so either the helicopter got out of his corridor or the airliner got into the helicopters corridor.”
Right along with post above by Lightbringerer.
Yes, that is right. I have been flying for 45 years, 35 of those for a major US airline. The ceiling for the helicopters on that route was 200’AGL. It was a common corridor for them. Rumor in the military helicopter community was that he was at 350′ — which is into the protected airspace for the DCA arrivals. This announcement of impact at 400′ (or about) confirms the rumor — that helicopter was above his authorized area.
Other factors involved as well.
150-200’ off in proscribed ceiling area of 200’ is horrendously poor flying / training. That PC was napping on the job.
This is the explanation I read last night by a pilot who saw the video and read accounts of the conversation between the chopper and the tower. He basically said, oh my God, they were looking at the wrong plane and the tower didn’t make clear there were two planes. I am so sad about this. Just human error, plain and simple.
Human error unfortunately does sometimes happen.
However, DEI air traffic controllers is a whole separate issue. As President Trump said at his press conference this morning, butthead buttigieg promulgated rabid DEI.
It may turn out that one of the causes was the air traffic controllers failure to give the runway number when asking the helicopter for separation.
If you listen to the ATC audio carefully, I believe that you will hear the controller tell PAT25 that the CRJ is changing it’s approach and is maneuvering to land on runway 33 (maybe 60-120 secs or more prior to collision??). Should the ATC controller also repeat this again later when asking PAT25 if he can see the CRJ? I don’t know the ATC protocol. However, from watching the two tracks it seems to me that ATC should have known they were headed right toward each other on a direct collision course. This seems to be problem #1. The 2nd level backup of each pilot not visually seeing and avoiding the other aircraft appears to be problems #2 and #3. If any one of these 3 issues/errors had not occurred, I suspect there would have been no collision.
When you have a system (visual separation at night) that requires careful spoken coordination among multiple parties it clearly has a good potential for errors, in this case fatal.
Supposedly ATC was juggling 2 flight patterns at the same time – a helicopter & a plane.
Were they the same 2 flights that collided ??!
The CRJ pilots were banking their plane to port to line up with runway 33.
Thus, they may not have been able to see the Helo approaching from their blind side as the starboard side and wing was raised.
If the Helo pilots were using night vision goggles they may have had restricted vision and from their broadside approach they may not have seen CRJ’s bright landing lights.
Looks like human errors may have been the cause.
Why was the Helo at about 400′ when ATC restricted it to only 200′???
Why was the Helo at about 400′ when ATC restricted it to only 200′???
That is the question of the day
They weren’t using goggles in that area.
The goggles were probably mounted and batt on. Just not flipped down. I never did, but some guys claimed that as NVG time.
Should the ATC controller also repeat this again later when asking PAT25 if he can see the CRJ?
yes
Apparently the helicopter was at the wrong altitude, 200’ higher than it was supposed/allowed to be, placing it in the path of the landing jet. If true, they are both at fault.
Go away! Nobody cares what you wish.
Some people here disagree with you. I have financially supported TCTH for years. I do not always agree with Sundance and I am unafraid. I will not go away.
What kindof imbeciles, sit around spitballing, and come up with :
“We have been discriminating against imbeciles and nutjobs, for far to long, when hiring Air Traffic Controllers!
So, to make up for this, for now on we will go out of our way to recruit imbeciles and crazies, to keep our skies safe!”
Answer; Same kind of crazy idiots that believe a man can get pregnant and breastfeed, i.e.Pete Buttgig.
Thanks for so clearly demonstrating why these nominations for Cabinet positions are so VITALLY important.
Sorry it takes a tragedy to make this point, and the media will no doubt accuse PDJT of “Politicising this tragedy”, so good to see he is going pure honey badger on them, i.e. knowing that would be the criticism, he obviously doesn’t give a sh*t.
Speaking the everyday male/female language…
We don’t actually know ATCs were including people with mental deficiencies. It is bad if they decided to do this but we don’t KNOW that to be the case.
Ah, Yes we do,…as President Trump was quoting statements from FAA docs today.
Mayor Bass & Gov Nuscum unavailable for comment.
Aviation safety only advances ACCIDENTALLY. Director of DOT is DEI Pothole Pete of Akron, under him are FAA and NTSB, responsible for this systematic failure. NTSB investigates aviation, highway, marine, pipeline, railroad and bridge accidents. In the recent decades, NTSB has investigated +15,000 aviation accidents, each with two year, hundred page report and offered recommendations THREE times. DEI Director Jennifer Homendy was silent since 2021 appointment, until Alaska #1282 on Jan 05, 2024. After a number of questionable statements, she was asked about her flying experience. “I am studying for my written exam, hope to get my private pilot license soon”
DanGryder(.)com has been outspoken on the glaring FAA defects
You mean South Bend. I wouldn’t denigrate Akron buy attaching Mayor Pete to that city.
This Buckeye agrees. Akron may be a shithole city, but it’s not Pete’s shithole city.
All those shithole cities look the same, lol.
i CAN ATTEST To that Statement – SAVE South Bend DOES NOT HAVE 2 Elevated Interstate Highways Running THRU IT’s HEART.
POT HOLES Are VERY SIMILAR Tho !
Headline at cspan:
President Trump blames DEI policies and Democrats for the deadly collision between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines passenger jet near Reagan National Airport. There are no survivors and 28 bodies have been recovered from the crash site.
https://www.c-span.org/
It’s CSPAN for God’s sakes of course they’re going to try to make Trump look bad , all mainstream media will do the same because IT’S THE mainstream media .
Trump is just speaking truth .
The truth isn’t known yet.
A fake news stenographer at the briefing asked President Trump how he could be so sure that DEI probably played a role in the crash. Our Honey Badger President said:
“Because I have common sense.”
God bless you President Trump! Outstanding answer!!
Is this real?
https://x.com/RT_com/status/1884889427865936275
It certainly could be real.
No! Obviously click bait. It is apparent when looking through the article. Why is it here!
if, after posting an X link, then return within a moment to edit out the “x” and replace that with “twitter” and then we should be able to see what the post is.
Out of habit refuse to click on any link that shows neither what it is or the poster never says what it is a link to. Got bit once by someone who posted something (on another site) and spent days removing the virus.
The imagery appears to be from the ads-b exchange app. While it does look like the helicopter flew in close proximity to several aircraft the imagery can be deceiving as there is no altitude shown for the aircraft on the screen. Vertical separation is every bit as important as horizontal separation for collision avoidance.
The COLOR of the Aircraft Symbol Represents the Altitude Block
BELOW 2000 ft = Dark Orange
ABOVE 2000 to 4000 = Light Orange towards Yellow
Why is the crash not on the front page of the New York Times?
https://www.nytimes.com/section/todayspaper
Because when all of the facts are revealed by President Trump’s transparent administration, it will be obvious that the leftist DEI administration run by Joe Biden’s handlers was entirely at fault.
Not sure we can say that yet, however I hsve no problem at all with OPT drawing sttention to sn insane and stupid DEI policy of the FAA, that says to make up for previously descriminating against crazy and stupid people, when hiring ATC’s, that going foreward they would intentionally recruit crazy and stupid people to be ACT’s,cause “Diversity is our strength.”
Only crazy stupid people would think this was good policy.
<Nobody cares what you wish.>
The facts aren’t all in evidence but the army helicopter is at fault.
Who was flying the chopper? What was his background? Who were the two crew members and their backgrounds?
Any woke DEI or transgender mental cases involved?
How so?
Copter was not provided with complete info about how the CRJ had been instructed to land at a different runway at last minute, and was also NOT told to look in the direction of the CRJ to pick it up by sight. Copter probably thought the traffic was still inbound on runway 1, which is why they were probably looking that way instead of where the CRJ was coming from.
can vision be both
enhanced ( illuminating darkness – during night etc)
and
limited (tunnel vision)
via the use of night goggles?
imho: yes
Is it a good,
or bad,
idea
to be conducting flight training – of varied elevation above ground-
in the known flight path corridors at airports?
imho: bad
Competent people are cognizant of both the limitations and potentials of their people and equipment.
imho: lessor competent are often lessor cognizant -and the weakness can show up at very inconvenient (or dangerous) situations.
p.s.
In a short period of time,
larger vehicles are less nimble to alter their travel path than smaller vehicles.
imho
The accident happened with many unneeded and unwanted casualties (loss of life).
Prayers can help
The pains (and casualties) are real…
Competence can help too… – and is imperative, always.
Let’s learn about ways to improve… 24/7/365
(and avoid madeup side stepping, excuses that somehow over ride competence / merit / qualifications of people, service, materials, equipment )
Do not take any wooden-nickels
i.e.
Prove all things,
hold fast to that which is good.
Thessalonians 5:21
Love thy neighbors
Love thy neighbors.
The Generation of NVGs that i Flew With as a Crewmen was VERY Limiting AND ONLY ONE of The Pilots COULD BE USING THEM While in the Cockpit. ( PRE – ” NVG Cockpits ” )
NEWER GENERATIONS are DIFFERENT i’M SURE and That ALLOWS DIFFERENT PROCEDURES.
STILL ” a NVG ENVIRONMENT ” IS TOTALLY DIFFERENT
than a MULTI COLORED, NUANCED NIGHTTIME Environment – DIFFERENT SCAN TECHNIQUES –
SUU Aviation has this Video
PRAYERS For ALL INVOLVED.
AVIATION Is SELDOM -> FORGIVING
Do we know the names of the helicopter pilot and the air traffic controller? To me, this was intentional. Was the CIA involved?
Intentional?
Put down the weed 🙂
“… We even pulled the altitude and flight tracking data that revealed sharp zig-zags and a sudden drop in altitude moments before the crash. Here are the possible reasons behind the disaster:
Mechanical Failure
Air Traffic Control Failure
Human Error
Nefarious Action
Pilot Suicide
Computer Hack
…”
{ https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/01/urgent-call-return-base-choppers-strange-movements-make/ }
So yeah, it could have been intentional.
This is literally the first picture that came to my mind when I heard Trump detail Bidens Air Traffic Control hiring practices. Pretending aside, its obvious Obama was in charge the entire time.
The DIE policies do say they will hire dwarfs.
I’m guessing that President Trump has a very good idea of what exactly happened and why. The military personnel were from Fort Belvoir….so there’s that. Was it a two-fer ordered by the ghouls?. Punish empathetic Trump for being President by causing a mass casualty event and offing some potential witnesses to malfeasances that’d originated at the Fort? I’m guessing the comms of any person deemed a threat to the ghouls are undoubtedly monitored 24/7.
Air traffic congestion around DCA has been growing steadily for the last twenty years. The high density of air traffic around DCA is the major contributing factor to this collision. In other words, a collision of some kind was bound to happen sooner or later.
I flew into DCA on a regular basis in the late 2000’s when I was working inside the MIC. The DC Metro has quick service between the airport and downtown. It is just really handy to use the DC Metro to get to and from downtown Washington DC from Reagan.
You have a meeting downtown from 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM, you get on the Metro/DCA line at 3:00 PM, and 2-1/2 hours later you are winging your way back home at 5:30 PM.
A knowledgeable former Army pilot commenting on this incident says this: Helicopters must have access to the airspace around DCA for several important purposes. Air space corridors are assigned to Army helicopters for their use, including an altitude restriction generally at or below 200 feet inside those assigned corridors.
Under the rules operative in the DCA airspace, it is the Army helicopter pilot’s responsibility to stay within the assigned corridors, to maintain an altitude below 200 feet where that restriction is in force, and to maintain visual separation with other air traffic.
All indications for the immediate cause of the collision point to pilot error on the part of the Army helicopter. If this explanation holds up, the next logical question is, why did the helicopter not stay within its assigned corridor and at its assigned altitude? What combination of contributing factors caused the pilot not to carry out his assigned responsibility of maintaining visual separation?
The near certainty of pilot error aside, in a highly congested air traffic situation like this one, then sooner or later, it’s likely that several contributing factors will all line up just right for a collision like this one to occur.
Swiss cheese effect in quality control.
One more thing to add about Pilot Error. The Blackhawk had their Transponder turned off. Also known as ADS B. Without a transponder, ATC has no information on the Helo’s course, speed, and altitude. This info is updated every second. So ATC has continual updated info. Then they can relay changes to flight path to avoid collision.
Without ADS B. all ATC has to rely on is Radar, which has a time lag and no flight info. All ATC could see of the Blackhawk is a blip on a monitor screen without the info box near it. Which because of the time lag involved from using radar would not show the Helo’s actual position. ATC could see The passenger aircraft blip with info box next to it, and another blip nearby with no info.
ATC told the pilot to maintain VISUAL separation. Because without accurate up to date info. ATC had no way to radio guidance as to course and altitude change to avoid the Jet Liner.
. ATC left it up to the final authority of the Blackhawk pilot to Maintain Visual Separation.
With 2 aircraft flying at each other head on, same altitude, at combined speed aprox 300 mph.
That Blackhawk pilot better have his stuff in one sack and not be distracted. Yet he/she still flew directly into the flight path of the Passenger Aircraft. Which was on a straight, steady course, fully visible, with landing lights on and blazing.
100% pilot error. its not like that airplane came out of nowhere in bad weather.
From what I understand, the helicopter hit the airliner from the side, not from head on. Which means that the helicopter intended cross the ground track of the airliner diagonally, but at a lower altitude.
This is consistent with ATC’s instruction to the helicopter to pass behind the airliner. But the helicopter was not at its assigned altitude, it was higher. Had the helicopter been at its assigned altitude, then it probably would have passed underneath the CRJ.
Also, if the helicopter was approaching from one side, not head on, then the possibility exists that the CRJ was not nearly as visible to the helicopter pilot as it might have been had the two aircraft been approaching head on.
The helicopter pilot probably realized his mistake only a few seconds before the collision. Or else he didn’t realize it at all because he was killed before the fact of an imminent collision could register in his mind.
At the altitude of the collision, the CRJ’s crew would have been focused on maintaining a stabilized approach to a landing. They would have had no reason to be looking far left or far right while they were in the last part of their approach.
Another commenter mentions that the ATC controller sounds as if he is under operational stress. What I hear when I listen to the recording is that the controller is very, very busy. He is giving instructions as quickly and as tersely as he can consistent with keeping track of all these aircraft according to ATC procedure.
If as you say, the controller had no information on the altitude of the helicopter, then he can only assume that the helicopter is at its assigned altitude and check with the pilot for confirmation that he sees the CRJ. The pilot confirms that he does see it, and so the controller has done his job in the way he is supposed to be doing it.
Paul Reveres Horse, just as you say, all the right holes in the swiss cheese line up. This incident is the result of a number of factors coming together in just the right way to make the collision a high probability event.
You can see PAT25’s ADS-B data here:
https://www.airnavradar.com/data/flights/PAT25
The FAA is compromised. Those “mysterious” drones are under their authority. The Chemtrails that are part of the government created”climate change” seed the atmosphere to change our weather while also contaminating our air, water and soil are ALSO under the FAA. FAA is responsible for drones, planes, helicopters, flight patterns, take-offs and landings.
So since the systems are computer managed and that even cars on the ground can be manuevered. Not really clear why there is confusion…..fairly obvious that sabotage is not difficult in the “digital age”.
Case in point, when Michael Hastings Mercedes went 90 mph through a residential and crashed and burned into a tree. According to the autopsy, Hastings was not drunk, he was not high.
On the Strange Deathof Michael Hastings:Was the Reporter Car-Hacked or Bombed?By Gar Smith
Thursday August 08, 2013 – 02:56:00 PM
https://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2013-08-09/article/41312
Personal note: An uninhabited helicopter DOD project for the Navy was available in the 1980’s.
For the first time, Black Hawk helicopter flies without anyone aboard
By Jen Judson
Feb 8, 2022
https://www.defensenews.com/land/2022/02/08/black-hawk-helicopter-flies-unmanned-for-the-first-time/
Ever drive a new car and it corrects you while you are driving? Well, some folks say that the CIA had the capability of taking over a Mercedes and that was a theory of the erratic driving that killed Michael Hastings. The CIA in 2013 was capable of sending a car into a tree at 90 miles per hour.
Wikileaks Vault 7 release states:
WikiLeaks’ release on Tuesday of a massive trove of secret CIA documents has reignited conspiracy theories which have swirled since 2013, with revelations the spy agency was attempting to remotely hack vehicles.
“As of October 2014 the CIA was also looking at infecting the vehicle control systems used by modern cars and trucks,” WikiLeaks writes. “The purpose of such control is not specified, but it would permit the CIA to engage in nearly undetectable assassinations.”
Hastings, an acclaimed war correspondent and vocal critic of government mass surveillance, died in the early hours of Tuesday, June 18, 2013, when his Mercedes C250 Coupe apparently lost control and burst into flames before slamming into a palm tree.
Witnesses to the accident, which occurred around 4:25am in the leafy Hancock Park neighbourhood of Los Angeles, said the car appeared to be travelling at top speed and was creating “sparks and flames” before it went off the road.
Los Angeles police said there was no sign of foul play in the crash.
https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/media/wikileaks-vault-7-dump-reignites-conspiracy-theories-surrounding-death-of-michael-hasting
Now a Blackhawk helicopter.
Forensically this should be investigated. The alphabet agencies and the FAA should be put in interrogation rooms under the Patriot Act.
And the tesla in front of the Trump hotel in vegas (around new years) that exploded.
da plane (is) da plane.
Wait for the investigation.
The politics of all of this is to hang the accident on PDJT – that the hiring freeze prevented an in-process hire.
That’s a specious argument if the required number of personnel were on the job or eligible hires were in the initial training phases over the number of days the freeze was put into effect. It’s not even clear if the freeze applied to critical job categories.
PDJT’s conference and politics (something I initially opposed) make more sense in this context.
Of course! A hiring freeze implemented within the last 8 days was the cause of the accident.
That dog won’t hunt, no matter how loud the brainless media and politicians scream their lies.
Exactly; the FAA inspection team have their work cut out for them and speculation with politics and conspiracies thrown in never help and only give the media talking points to spread their hate.
I agree.
👍 👍
Wait for the investigation.
President Trump held the press conference
and stated what he knew concerning this
tragedy. I believe it was a good move by him.
Meanwhile, I will be praying for
those lost, and their families 🙏 🙏
💔 💔 💔
President Trump Scorches the FAA’s Diversity Equity and Inclusion Policies that Greatly Contributed to this Tragedy after FAA determines Air Traffic Controllers were found “Too White”
• The FAA’s DEI approach focused on hiring people with severe intellectual and psychiatric disabilities 🤯
• The FAA targets disabled individuals for hiring air traffic controllers…
—— hearing issues
—— vision issues
—— missing extremities
—— partial paralysis
—— complete paralysis
—— severe intellectual disability
—— dwarfism
“All qualify for the position of an air traffic controller.”
• The FAA decided that air traffic controllers were “Too White”
Trump goes on to say he doesn’t care what color or creed an individual is, but the most qualified, intelligent, and talented individuals should only be hired.
https://rumble.com/v6f50xm-president-trump-scorches-the-faas-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-policies.html
https://t.me/candlesinthenight/80149
Reality Deficit Disorder
{ https://www.globalresearch.ca/woke-critical-race-theory-reality-deficit-disorder/5749126 }
{
}
{
}
those + more on Trump getting derided for pointing out the obvious from NotTheBee
{ https://notthebee.com/article/trump-points-out-the-obvious-the-faa-under-biden-was-actively-recruiting-workers-who-suffer-severe-intellectual-disabilities-psychiatric-problems-and-other-mental-and-physical-conditions-unde }
Trump says ‘diversity hires’ who are not ‘mentally competent’ will be fired following DC plane, helicopter collision
https://thepostmillennial.com/trump-says-diversity-hires-who-are-not-mentally-competent-will-be-fired-following-dc-plane-helicopter-collision?utm_campaign=64530
Very sad. They were so close to landing. May they all rest in peace.
Question to all triggered regarding Trump DEI inclusion in address:
How many different helicopters has DJT owned through this lifetime?
How many flights within nations busiest most complex airspace (LaGuardia, JK)?
Think Trump ever jumped upfront threw on Dave Clark Headset? and listened learned about protocol and procedure? A bunch. Intellectual Curiosity.
Ok. That’s handled.
You think he ordered up complete detailed report including exact transmissions, diagrams, personnel bios delivered in an hour? What do you think he found.
Don’t judge so quick. He knows what happened.
Change your view much. I was a private pilot long ago. I don’t believe in accidents. Usually negligence.
President Trump’s hero was his brother, an airline pilot, I believe.
No one cares … you didn’t want competence from Clinton, Obama or Biden … but demand perfection from Trump.
The FAA issues an initial report already? Shocking.
That would be the last administration’s FAA.
The contrast between Trump and Obiden management is going to increase the hysterical panic of the luceferians. The left finds itself in an impossible situation wherein normal opposition and resistance by one political party against the other is going to backfire on them. The American people have awakened in large part to the filth and corruption of the anti-America left. Their visceral hatred of Making America Great Again is evidence of their enmity and loathing of the US. It has been wholeheartedly rejected by a vast majority of Americans, notwithstanding media deception.
These people are not stupid. They are also not well organized and have no focused leadership. Therefore, their energy comes from creating crisis and chaos. If they cannot pull off a Pearl Harbor, they will inflict a thousand cuts of mayhem in an attempt to foment fear, intimidation and a sense that things are out of control.
Trump must go full wolverine. The caterwauling about dictatorship and “going after your political enemies” will no longer be accepted by the people. The sick irony of the luciferians howling and braying about political retaliation while having engaged in just that for 8 years has sicked the people. The American people fully understand the difference between retaliation and true justice.
I think Milley should be first. Trump must do this very hard, very fast and with no mercy.
I hope so, too.
But at the same time, reality demands that President Trump like all human beings has limitations in how much he can do at one time. Yes, he has almost unlimited resources and can assign tasks. But in the real world some things take more time and effort than others.
The bottom line is our President must prioritize people, money, and resources when considering what he wants to see to do.
The good news for us is that President Trump is very skilled in prioritizing and juggling, which leads to the next issue. Because he is so good at getting things done, the opposition fights President Trump at every turn. That adds to his workload and ability to do more.
What we need to do is back up his decisions while he fights the people opposing him.
We don’t need perfect.
Trump Time
And the next night, there is a midair crash with a military helicopter.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/white-house-pulling-gen-milleys-security-detail-clearance-panel-may-face-demotion-retirement.amp
Amen brother.
The Mil Helo was cleared to fly at only 200′ by WDA ATC, but was at about 400′ when it hit the AA jet in its landing protocol, that gave the jet the “right of way” priority.
This fact should give Milley real “White Rage”, but probably won’t.
probably
fwiw
“Gen Mark Milley may have received a pardon, but his subordinate and legal counsel, Admiral Christopher French did not.
“This morning at 1134, I submitted, to both the FBI and DoD leadership, evidence of crimes committed by Admiral Chris French and a coverup by Admiral Darse Crandall.”
Mebbe you should take all your massive knowledge and expertise and go volunteer for President Trump’s team.
I am sure he could use a real genius like you.
No need to personally attack with zero facts.
I wish the same for you. Are you impaired other than the cognitive issues? How fast can you scuffle away?
Uncalled for personal attack.
Right now the NTSB is on – this fellow seems to me to be going on quite too long – grandstanding.
He has all the right and duty to point to the expectations of personnel in the previous government
Trump is correct. Leaked data shows ATC’s systems worked properly; they had warning of the conflict in PLENTY OF TIME.
Here’s a step-by-step analysis Juan Brown on the broncolirio aerial YT channel. He is an expert on crashes. This video has great graphics and aerial google photos of the entire area and where the base is, the runways, info on the helicopter.
Worth watching. (7:39 video)
As a commercial/instument rotorcraft and also commercial airplane rated pilot, for nearly 30 years and 9,300 hours, Juan Browne’s analysis is absolutely spot on. Pilot error by the Blackhawk crew.
That is, unless some very unlikely evidence to the contrary emerges.
But in visual conditions, which it definitely was, it is still the duty of each pilot in command to scan for traffic and see and avoid. So the pilots of the Canadair RJ also bear some responsibility, to be very technical about it. But the brunt of the blame is on the Hawk.
Both the RJ and the Hawk should have had Traffic Collision and Avoidance tones, gongs, chimes and alarms going off like crazy. The Canadair pilot had the option of firewalling that sucker and going around. The Blackhawk pilot could have did a quick stop to a hover until he spotted the traffic for 100% certain, or a tight 360 degree turn to the left. That’s extreme Monday morning quarterbacking, but, there’s always options. I had a few very close calls in my time and got lucky, sadly, not the case for them.
A significant contributing factor is the extremely congested air traffic and radio traffic in the area.
Another thing to remember when listening to the audio, is that you’re hearing what the tower controller heard. He’s monitoring several frequencies. The crew of the Hawk and the crew of the Canadair RJ were on separate frequencies. They depend on the controller to tell them what they need to know. Although there’s nothing to stop a very sharp pilot from tuning in the #1 comm radio to communicate with the tower while also monitoring the other frequency on #2 comm.
300+ ft OGE hover while VFR in the dark in Class A airspace. I’m thinking no way. My first thought upon the warning from ATC would have been altitude and I would have basically been in autorotation mode for a couple hundred feet. Hell, I might have broken the collective slamming it to the floor.
Like I said, I was taking the Monday morning quarterbacking to an extreme, just to illustrate there are options, even extreme ones, that *could* have saved the day. Airliners seldom if ever go around at 390’ on short final, but that’s why they have a TOGA button.
As to a 300’ OGE hover in Class A airspace…. are you sure you didn’t mean Class B ? Either way, its not anything that difficult, I probably have 1500+ hours hovering at 200-300’ AGL or less under night NVG….doing weird chores for my uncle…long story
If I were flying the plane and had unresolved TA’s from low level rotor traffic, instinct would have been full power climb.
If the PIC of the helicopter, reflex would have been dump collective, slow down, and terminate to a hover as low as I could go without hitting the water.
It would also have probably avoided the accident if the Hawk had had a full crew in the back, guys looking out the gunner door windows would have saw that traffic and called it …. not the case unfortunately
When I visited the tower at a major airport a few years ago, I was shocked to learn this was the primary display that air traffic controllers used. It looks like the 1980s.
Two things can be equally true. The tech is outdated and someone f’d up.
Confluence of errors – more than one – perfect storm.
Is there a slot to insert quarters under that display?
It looks like something from a 1979 shopping mall arcade.
This government has become a literal train wreck in many areas.
PDJT has a herculean effort in front of him to undo this mess.
Night ops are the most demanding. Distances, lights and movement sometimes are not what they seem. When issued the “maintain visual separation”, you have accepted the responsibility of monitoring the aircraft pointed out to you so not to cause what happened.
Weather was not a factor last night in the terminal area. Visibility was reported at 10+ miles. The requests and clearances were not out of the ordinary for a high density traffic airport.
Being in a training scenario, it would seem as if no one flying the helicopter was looking outside to maintain visual separation. It’s very easy to become distracted while doing training because it’s the nature of the task.
It’ll be important to learn of the helicopter crew’s knowledge and familiarization of the area, qualifications and experience.
I’m unsure why tower ATC (local) would allow an incursion into the approach corridor of the landing runway by any other aircraft other than the one “cleared to land”.
I listed to the audio of four minutes before and after the accident and was disappointed to hear non-standard phraseology being used by other flights operating in and out of the airport. It’s a small thing but it can lead to confusion when quick and accurate decisions are being made and it needs to be tightened up by the industry as a whole for the sake of operational safety.
I write this from the experiences of a forty year career in aviation, thirty two in the left seat of Transport Category turbojet aircraft.
The Blackhawk was reported to be Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter.
“How does a Blackhawk Helicopter casually run into a commercial airliner?” asked one person.
“Matrix flight autonomy system by Lockheed Martin comes to mind,” responded a person.
While there is no evidence that the crash on Wednesday involved MATRIX, the project continues to garner attention as investigators look into the deadly mishap.
https://www.dailydot.com/debug/black-hawk-helicopter-matrix-autonomy/
Here’s another Blackhawk contract, this is another feature:
“Evaluation will include assessment of different sensor suites to perceive and avoid threats, obstacles and terrain, and develop standards and system specifications interfaced with the MATRIX system and a fly-by-wire flight control system,” per the press release.
https://defensescoop.com/2024/10/14/darpa-sikorsky-black-hawk-autonomous-flight-award/
Blackhawks basically can be piloted WITHOUT a crew.
What kind of perfect planning would need to go on to make this a preplanned event? Plane, yes is a known flight and tracked but it was diverted to another runway when it was coming in. So that means the controller would have to be involved somehow. Helicopter was on a training run which apparently is sop for that area. So the pilot would have to be involved unless the controls would have been taken over remotely. If the helo pilot was not involved I would imagine there would have been some frantic screaming into the radio by him as he is staring death in the face with the very visible jet in front of him and no control of the helicopter. Others would need to be involved too in order to pull this off.
Seems to have a bit too much complexity to make it work and everything had to go perfectly for this to be malfeasance and preplanned. Who knows though. It could be some attack against the Trump administration but I personally need some real firm proof to get there.
Since the Blackhawk can fly itself….why would the crew have to be alive? Ever call your bank and use the voice recognition feature? So samples of our voices are readily accessible, in aviation especially radio. I fail to see that this is hard for someone in the DOD to plan.
Most crimes are crimes of opportunity.
I say that this opportunity would be easy to plan. Perhaps that plane was just handy, not necessarily a target, more like a victim of opportunity.
Following the logic of everyone that I have read, there seems to be a great need to explain what happened and why. Has a Blackhawk ever crashed into a passenger plane in the United States? If so, we should start there. That Blackhawk should have the requsite upgrades up to MATRIX to make it feasible.
Next, wonder if it is possible in aviation for a random act to be completed without consent? It appears that consent is not required. As evidenced in this situation. Everyone is looking for a logical explanation hoping for an accident or human error….but maybe it is murder, on purpose, with malice.
You may be right.
However, I might not have bias that keeps me in a box. I might think outside the box. I might be right.
This fatal plane crash is second to rock figure skating world after entire American team killed in 1960s.
Maybe you shouldn’t watch The View for your morning info.
Hilarious bull from all above. This press conference was NOT about a DEI hire who flew a chopper into a jet or an air controller getting on the job training.
Trump 45-47 does himself no favors by hijacking it to claim the crash was the result of lowered standards.
I am a proud member of the second America First club, the first being run out of Mir-a- Lago.
It is a pity that all the above comments wasted their time but once again demonstrates that blind allegiance demands a defense of the indefensible.
Trump 45-47 can be his own worst enemy and I wish he would stop it. This movement is bigger than him.
I was taught in drivers ED there is no such thing as an accident. They are called crashes, wrecks, collisions, or whatever, but not accidents.
The definition of accident actually points towards fault.
“an unfortunate event resulting especially from carelessness or ignorance”
Ever hear media claiming fog or ice caused a bunch of accidents? If that were true wouldn’t everyone crash? If there’s ice on a road people should be aware and drive at a speed and separation that does not cause crashes.
If the airspace over DC is so clogged then pilots should always be on a 360 swivel whether it’s visual or tech. Ever see someone cross a road without looking both ways, TWICE? You can’t call it an accident when they get hit. If the conditions are such that even with looking you don’t feel safe, then you don’t go!
This is the best reason to unclog DC and move a bunch of federal workers out into less congested America.
Trump was FIRE!!!!!! In your face Liberals. OWN IT!!!!
I recall several military crashes during President Trump’s first term. Noting when they seemed to occur, I hypothesized that it was to cause emotional distress to the President (as well as to punish him for being the President) since the President is clearly empathetic as opposed to a sociopathic.
I’m thinking the ghoul(s) who take(s) over these aircraft remotely — as well as the ghouls who order it — have been re-activated.
Similarly, I feel the deaths of his best friend and of his brother under the cover of Covid were in fact murders to punish the President. Then there’s the somewhat odd death of his first wife Ivana. I’m betting President Trump thinks (or in fact knows) similarly.
It’s obvious by his demeanor, he takes this personally; as do we all.
Will this turn out to be more Death Due to DEI? Will it be pilot error?
Maybe.
I don’t yet know.
Does it matter who’s right in all the squabbling going on here today? I’ve read the thread.
I do know there are dozens of families who are in unspeakable anguish at this moment, due to this sudden and tragic loss of their precious loved ones.
It’s of them we should be thinking and for them we should be praying today.
Their anguish will still be painfully real long after the rest of the world moves on.
Forbes: D.C. Plane Crash Live Updates: Reagan Air Traffic Control Tower Was Reportedly Understaffed
“The air traffic controller who was handling helicopters near the airport Wednesday night was also directing commercial planes in take off and landing, jobs that are usually assigned to two separate people, according to an internal preliminary Federal Aviation Administration safety report seen by the Times. The tower at the airport has been understaffed for years, the Times reported.”
https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2025/01/30/dc-plane-crash-live-updates-reagan-air-traffic-control-tower-was-reportedly-understaffed/
Two pilots, one male, one female, and crew member male.
When its all said and done. The helicopter pilot will be the primary cause and all else will be “contributing factors”. I have seen and been involved in this kind of thing over and over again. The final and end results are always the same.
I had a similar thought – momentarily; and then realized it’s his turn, let President Trump talk as much as he wants on any subject he wants, he’s earned it x 100.
I had experience working for a county in CA on projects where we had to work with some federal employees and some employees in big cities.
From experience I can tell you the federal employees were the least competent. It was mind boggling and beyond frustrating to say the least.
This was before DEI. Let that sink in.
Yes. My findings ,if you aren’t experienced in a field, then maybe you shouldn’t be there.
FTA: At least 14 members of the US Figure Skating team were on the American Airlines flight that collided mid-air with a military helicopter over Washington, DC, Wednesday night, a skating official said.
Six members of the US Figure Skating team on the doomed flight were affiliated with the Skating Club of Boston, the club’s CEO and executive director Doug Zeghibe said, according to WCVB.
Skater Spencer Lane, his mother, Molly, skater Jinna Han, and her mother, Jin, and coaches Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, were all aboard the plane.
https://nypost.com/2025/01/30/us-news/at-least-14-members-of-us-figure-skating-team-were-on-american-airlines-flight-that-crashed-in-dc/
My guess is Trump has advance knowledge of something that has not been made public yet, and he is getting ahead of the messaging. If we actually get some prompt incriminating evidence about the lack of competency, or worse, the mal-intent of the crew, I will finally know that the era of transparency is here. Acknowledging that we don’t have sufficient facts to definitively attribute cause or fault, based on what we do know, it’s most likely that the helicopter was the primary culprit, either due to incompetence or malfeasance. I don’t buy the “city lights were in my eyes” excuse. I don’t think there are 300 foot towers on the flight path. Probably a little blame with the lack of urgency and clear direction from ATC right before the crash.
evidence
“The case of Damian Campbell and the near-collision incident in Austin, together with numerous other such incidents, raise troubling questions that deserve further scrutiny.
“We spoke with several air traffic and FAA personnel, most of whom insisted on staying anonymous and off the record.”
https://revolver.news/2023/11/crash-landing-the-inside-scoop-about-how-covid-and-affirmative-action-policy-gutted-aviation-safety/
FTA: The air traffic controller working at the time of the deadly plane-helicopter crash in Washington was doing the work of two people, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
Staffing in the air traffic control tower at Ronald Reagan National Airport was “not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic,” the FAA found in its preliminary report, according to the New York Times.
This led to the controller who was handling helicopters in the airport’s vicinity to also be the one in charge of instructing planes landing and departing the runways. The jobs are normally assigned to two people, not one.
The airport’s air traffic control facilities have been understaffed for years, with only 19 fully certified controllers on deck as of September 2023, according to Congress’ Air Traffic Controller Workforce Plan report.
The facility should have had 30 on deck, as per the goal set by the FAA and controller’s union.
https://nypost.com/2025/01/29/us-news/washington-dc-plane-crash-live-updates/
Imagine what this poor guy now has to live with everyday of his life. I pray for God to help him find some sort of acceptance and peace with what happened. So very sad for everyone involved.
A terrible tragedy. He and I expect others will have to live with guilt. Just terrible. Yes, only God can bring peace.
God bless him, but why did he think he had to do the presser personally? Isn’t that why he has a press secretary?
Because he is taking charge, and not throwing it in the lap of the press secretary for her second career appearance.
why
360 MILLION views
https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/113891969193609437
No. I respect him more now more than ever. If it doesn’t come directly from his mouth I won’t believe it.