Mid-Air Collision Near Washington National Airport

If you have been following the story of the tragic mid-air collision of an American Airlines regional jet and an Army Blackhawk helicopter, here are some recent developments:

News reports note that the regional jet contained a Traffic Conflict Avoidance System (TCAS) unit. However, they fail to mention that these units suppress warnings below 1,000 ft in the landing configuration, to limit crew distraction in the critical landing phase of flight.

It is very possible that the helicopter crew was looking at American 3130, which was landing on runway 1, when they reported the traffic in sight.

The chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) stated that the helicopter crew was most likely wearing night vision goggles when the collision occurred. In an area with high ambient light, this would limit the crew’s ability to see traffic.

There has been a report that the helicopter route followed by the Blackhawk was not to be active when landings were being made on runway 33. This may have been overlooked because one controller was directing both helicopter and fixed-wing traffic at the time of the crash. Normally, one controller would handle fixed-wing aircraft, and another controller would handle helicopters.

One aspect of this tragedy that I have not seen mentioned is that the controller was broadcasting on both UHF and VHF frequencies. However, the helicopter crew was using UHF, and the regional jet was transmitting on VHF. This means that neither aircraft could hear the transmissions of the other aircraft, denying both crews a key component in understanding the traffic picture and maintaining situational awareness.   

Finally, it is interesting to note that Canada and many other nations prohibit military training in the vicinity of civilian airports.

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