Consultants ask why Black Hawk helicopter could have been flying above allowed altitude earlier than crash

The navy Black Hawk helicopter that crashed right into a passenger aircraft close to Reagan Nationwide Airport Wednesday seems to have been flying above the permitted altitude, publicly obtainable flight information analyzed by CBS Information exhibits.

This information level is considered one of a number of key mysteries investigators are exploring as they search to clarify what precipitated the nation’s worst air catastrophe in additional than a decade, aviation consultants mentioned.

“That is the $64 million query that must be answered,” mentioned Greg Feith, a former senior air security investigator with the Nationwide Transportation Security Board, in an interview with CBS Information. 

The permitted flight ceiling on the Potomac River close to Reagan Nationwide Airport is 200 toes – an important ceiling for conserving the heavy circulate of navy helicopters safely away from the regular industrial plane site visitors into and out of the nation’s capital.

Information from FlightRadar24, which tracks and data plane information for many flights throughout the U.S., confirmed the helicopter’s final estimated altitude was about 400 toes when it crashed. The jet’s altitude was about 375 to 400 toes, in accordance with information from FlightAware and FlightRadar24.

“They’re navy pilots; they’re aware of the routes,” Feith mentioned. “Why is it on at the present time, on that flight, they had been [as much as] 150 to 200 toes increased than they knew they need to be?”

Steven B. Wallace, a former director of accident investigations for the Federal Aviation Administration, informed CBS Information he believes investigators will direct consideration to the altitude of the Black Hawk.

“I do not wish to speculate on the trigger, however I can speculate what is going on by way of the thoughts of the investigators,” Wallace mentioned. “I believe that may be very doubtless going to be the main target.”

Secretary of Protection Pete Hegseth mentioned the investigation is inspecting if the plane was on the proper altitude on the time. NTSB investigators haven’t to date disclosed the helicopter’s altitude of their briefings, and mentioned their working teams will consider “pre-impact course and altitude.”

The Military helicopter’s deviation above the flight ceiling is considered one of a number of comparable close to collisions involving helicopters at Reagan Nationwide that date again greater than a decade.

A close to midair collision between an airplane and a helicopter in July 2015 occurred 400 toes off the bottom on strategy to the identical runway being utilized in Wednesday’s crash – Runway 33 — in accordance with a CBS Information Information Staff overview of nameless reviews to NASA’s Aviation Security Reporting System. 

The pilot’s report mentioned the plane “got here inside very shut contact of one other plane.”

“This occurred about 400 toes off the bottom to the purpose the place the pilot monitoring needed to take the controls to make a correction with the intention to stop it from turning into a midair collision,” the 2015 report mentioned.

Two years earlier, in Might of 2013, a pilot reported issues with a helicopter whereas circling to land on Runway 33. That may be a shorter runway meant for smaller plane, like American Airways 5342. Pilots who land there informed CBS Information they wish to be on the “ground,” or lowest altitude throughout their strategy as a result of they should hit the start of the runway to have most distance to cease. 

“As we continued our strategy; Tower instructed the helicopter to ‘make a proper 360 for a jet on a 2 mile ultimate for Runway 33; and to report him in sight,” the pilot wrote. 

“The Tower then requested the helicopter if he had us in sight. He replied ‘sure’; and the Tower informed him to keep up visible separation,” the report mentioned. “As we started our flip from base to ultimate; the helicopter made what appeared like a proper flip straight into our flight path.”

The pilot reported having to execute a tough proper flip and abort the strategy to keep away from a collision. “I am unsure how shut we got here to the helicopter because it was on the left facet of the plane; however I’d guess it was only some hundred toes,” the report mentioned.

CBS Information’ overview of the NASA security information recognized at the least 9 close to midair collisions on the airport since 2005, together with three involving helicopters.

Feith mentioned he believes investigators from the NTSB and the navy might be inspecting the altimeters within the helicopter to see in the event that they malfunctioned, checking for any wind influence that might have hindered the pilot’s means to carry the helicopter at 200 toes, and exploring whether or not or not the crew ought to have been utilizing night time imaginative and prescient goggles.

He mentioned the flight recorders on each plane might be useful in figuring out what occurred. Authorities reported that they’d been recovered from the Potomac River on Thursday.

“If they’d been at 200 toes, there would not have been a problem as a result of the aircraft sometimes would’ve been 400 to 500 toes off the bottom,” Feith mentioned. “These two RJ [regional jet] pilots did not know what hit them till the helicopter hit them.”