Air Collision Above Washington DC: Experts Question Helicopter Pilot’s Actions
The deadly air collision on January 29 near Washington DC has raised serious questions about how it could have occurred, especially since the Black Hawk helicopter pilots should have been aware of the incoming aircraft, according to aviation industry specialist Capt. Desmond Ross.
Capt. Ross, with 25 years of experience in senior executive management and consulting, emphasized the importance of vigilance in such busy airspace. “With all the air traffic to and from Washington’s three airports, one does not simply fly around there at low altitude without keeping a very, very sharp lookout through the canopy,” he told Sputnik. While the helicopter crew might have been focused on instruments, such behavior would have been deemed “improper.”
What compounds the mystery is the reported attempt by air traffic controllers to warn the helicopter crew of the imminent collision, only to receive no response. Capt. Ross described the situation as “confusing” and said it remained a puzzle, as the lack of communication between the controllers and the helicopter only added to the uncertainty of how the crash occurred.
