On the frigid night of January 29th, a passenger plane carrying 60 people and 4 cabin crew members fatally collided with a military helicopter that was flying over the Potomac for training. The plane, American Eagle Flight No. 5342, was flying from Wichita, Kansas and attempting to land at Reagan National Airport. The helicopter, a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk, had previously been based at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
According to AP News, the three military personnel were on the helicopter for a training exercise with clear skies. And according to air traffic workers managed by PSA Airlines, they had ordered Flight 5342 to use an alternative runway, since a Jet Bombardier CRJ-700 was also about to land. The pilot of Flight 5342 agreed, and adjusted his route. Assuming the helicopter was near the vicinity, another controller asked the helicopter if they saw the plane, in which they replied yes. The controller ordered the helicopter to let the plane pass first, but the two aircrafts already crashed.
Following an intense investigative operation, evidence was found that just seconds before the collision, the plane’s flight recorder showed a change in pitch (the change, up/down/rotation of the plane’s nose), but it is still unclear whether or not the change was in an attempt to avoid the helicopter or not.
Additionally, CBS News says the helicopter was flying 200 feet higher than normal, and it had its ADB-S system (which tracks aircraft locations) off; although this is not irregular and the helicopter was using an alternative transponder. CBS News reports the ADB-S would have been much more effective and accurate.
Among the 67 fatalities , the Skating Club of Boston had several figure skaters returning from a skating development camp in Wichita, Kansas. Victims include 13 year-old Jinna Han, a “talent on the rise and a fierce competitor” according to US Figure Skating. Onboard with Jinna was Spencer Lane, a 16 year old skater who “showed great promise” was a “force of nature” according to his father. Additionally, legendary Russian skating coaches Evengia Shishkova and Vadim Maumov, who won the 1994 World Championships in pair skating, were among the stars lost in the crash.
Examinations are still ongoing, with the National Transportation Safety Board investigating people working at the control tower at the time and collecting black box footage from both planes. The collection of maintenance logs, flight logs, timelines, synchronized flight data and communications is underway. Furthermore, USA Today states that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have searched the bottom of the river for remains using green laser pulses to locate debris in the river. As of February 8th, all debris and remains of both air vehicles have been retrieved.
This accident will forever be remembered as one of the most tragic and fatal American airplane collisions in history, but also serves as an important reminder of the importance of high quality airplane management. This tragedy continues to highlight miscommunication with air traffic workers and pilots, the importance of following safety precautions, and utilizing ADB-S systems when flying to avoid interactions with other air vehicles.
If future tragedies like the Potomac River Crash are to be avoided in the future, advocacy for improvement of aviation and air traffic control regulations is imperative.