Article

2025-01-30 -Obits-

Plane collides with Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan Airport: Dozens feared dead

[Washington Examiner] 9 p.m. EST - Dozens of people are feared dead after a passenger plane traveling from Kansas collided with a military helicopter near Reagan Airport in Arlington, Virginia, and plunged into the Potomac River.

American Airlines Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas, collided with a helicopter, which the Federal Aviation Administration revealed was a military Black Hawk Sikorsky H-60. A webcam video from the Kennedy Center captured the incident.

WEBCAM AT THE KENNEDY CENTER CAUGHT AN EXPLOSION MID-AIR ACROSS THE POTOMAC. HTTPS://T.CO/V75SXITPH6 PIC.TWITTER.COM/HINYDHBYS5

— Alejandro Alvarez (@aletweetsnews) January 30, 2025
"I have been fully briefed on the terrible accident which just took place at Reagan National Airport. May God Bless their souls," President Donald Trump said in a statement. "Thank you for the incredible work being done by our first responders. I am monitoring the situation and will provide more details as they arrive."

CNN Coverage at this link.

AP Coverage at this link.

Posted by Besoeker 2025-01-30 01:34|| || Front Page|| [11162 views ] Top

#1 Looped video of incident taken from Kennedy Center

Posted by Anguper Hupomosing9418 2025-01-30 02:03|| 2025-01-30 02:03|| Front Page Top

#2 It all starts this morning.

We can only imagine how various the Political Special Interest Groups will try to play this sad disaster for the benefit of their various self-serving agendas.

Posted by NN2N1 2025-01-30 04:43|| 2025-01-30 04:43|| Front Page Top

#3 This wasn't a standard Black Hawk helicopter: Ret. Lt. Col. Darin Gaub

Posted by Skidmark 2025-01-30 05:44|| 2025-01-30 05:44|| Front Page Top

#4 Donald Trump raises alarming questions about DC plane crash as he insists it 'should have been prevented'

Posted by Skidmark 2025-01-30 06:08|| 2025-01-30 06:08|| Front Page Top

#5 NVG training flight drifts into commercial approach? UH-60 Stick time? Tower on break ?

The NTSB investigation results of this one will obviously not be good.

Posted by Besoeker 2025-01-30 07:57|| 2025-01-30 07:57|| Front Page Top

#6 Facts in hand: AA Bombadier regional jet, 60 aboard + 4 crew (coming back from ice skating event in Wichita) all presumed lost
H-60 Sikorsky Blackhawk on training flight, 3 aboard. all presumed lost
Landing path of the the airliner takes it over Ft Belvior, then the Potomac
All went down in the river, water is 36 degrees
There is dashcam video of the collision from someone coming in the gat at Ft Belvior
https://x.com/rawsalerts/status/1884812906333622495

Posted by ed in texas 2025-01-30 08:49|| 2025-01-30 08:49|| Front Page Top

#7 one site showed the paths of the aircraft - looks like they turned into each other. I have to admit I question why the helo didn't/couldn't avoid the airliner. Also unworthy of me but I'd be interested to learn the helo pilot/copilot names.

Posted by Mercutio 2025-01-30 09:39|| 2025-01-30 09:39|| Front Page Top

#8 Libs of TikTok
@libsoftiktok
·
4h
U.S. figure skating championships in Wichita, Kansas just a few days ago.
Team USA figure skaters and coaches were reportedly on the flight from Kansas to D.C. which crashed

Posted by badanov 2025-01-30 10:03|| 2025-01-30 10:03|| Front Page Top

#9 ^7
website showing flight paths is here

looks like the helicopter turned right when it was supposed to turn left

Posted by Lord Garth 2025-01-30 10:07|| 2025-01-30 10:07|| Front Page Top

#10 Ref #7: Names and gender, flight hours, branch of service.

Posted by Besoeker 2025-01-30 10:10|| 2025-01-30 10:10|| Front Page Top

#11 Radar of the collision here:
https://x.com/rawsalerts/status/1884827088437264387?mx=2

Posted by ed in texas 2025-01-30 10:12|| 2025-01-30 10:12|| Front Page Top

#12 I recall mil pilots often cram their training hours in before the end of the month.

I also recall a long time critique that planes and birds are on two difference frequencies.

Posted by mossomo 2025-01-30 12:38|| 2025-01-30 12:38|| Front Page Top

#13 "And gender" --- That will be the big reveal, everyone is thinking it.

Posted by mossomo 2025-01-30 12:39|| 2025-01-30 12:39|| Front Page Top

#14 DEI instructionals instead of Navigation & No Fly Zones.

Someone tried to poo poo the airplane as 'it is a new route, less than a year old.'

Really? They build a new landing strip? Does the airport rotate depending upon the origin of a flight?

Posted by swksvolFF 2025-01-30 13:06|| 2025-01-30 13:06|| Front Page Top

#15 Admittedly, I don't know much about aviation. But after watching Anguper's video at #1, I just have to ask: Can't those helicopter pilots see where they're going?

Posted by Abu Uluque 2025-01-30 13:08|| 2025-01-30 13:08|| Front Page Top

#16 Were the helicopter pilot's actions deliberate? The question must be asked.

Posted by Abu Uluque 2025-01-30 13:10|| 2025-01-30 13:10|| Front Page Top

#17 Night Vision Goggles (NVG's) limit visibility in build-up areas where interference from numerous ground lites are present.

Posted by Besoeker 2025-01-30 13:12|| 2025-01-30 13:12|| Front Page Top

#18 Just my $0.02, FWIW: I think the Blackhawk pilot saw the plane ahead and thought that was the plane he was supposed to avoid/follow. Tragic, but human error

Posted by Frank G 2025-01-30 13:20|| 2025-01-30 13:20|| Front Page Top

#19 #17 and #18, again, I don't know but, if so, why train with such technology in the flight path of a busy commercial airport?

Posted by Abu Uluque 2025-01-30 13:23|| 2025-01-30 13:23|| Front Page Top

#20 /\ Very likely indeed. Also very likely that the tower's instruction were NOT adequate. (blinding flash of the tragically obvious)

Posted by Besoeker 2025-01-30 13:25|| 2025-01-30 13:25|| Front Page Top

#21 #10 Washington DC plane crash: Trump blames diversity policies and ‘confluence of bad decisions’

Posted by Grom the Affective 2025-01-30 14:58|| 2025-01-30 14:58|| Front Page Top

#22 Night Vision Goggles (NVG's) limit visibility in build-up areas

No peripheral vision with NVGs.
Flight panel guage backlighting can cause a 'lost horizon' effect when blended with ground lighting.

Tower on break ?
Most importantly, who/what was in the tower.

Posted by Skidmark 2025-01-30 15:28|| 2025-01-30 15:28|| Front Page Top

#23 Tower on break ?

Air traffic control tower at Reagan airport was understaffed at time of American Airlines disaster that left 67 dead, FAA report finds as scandalous practices under Biden are revealed

Posted by Skidmark 2025-01-30 15:39|| 2025-01-30 15:39|| Front Page Top

#24 DEI^2?

Posted by swksvolFF 2025-01-30 16:44|| 2025-01-30 16:44|| Front Page Top

#25 MARK MCEATHRON: I'm a Black Hawk helicopter pilot. This video shows all the red flags that led up to the deadly DC plane crash

Posted by Skidmark 2025-01-30 17:09|| 2025-01-30 17:09|| Front Page Top

05:31 Skidmark
05:19 Grom the Affective
05:17 Grom the Affective
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04:56 Silentbrick
04:43 Grom the Affective
04:26 Grom the Affective
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04:05 Besoeker
03:17 trailing wife
03:10 3dc
03:07 trailing wife
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02:59 Frank G
02:58 3dc
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