A recent survey by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) revealed that the Army helicopter involved in a collision with a commercial airplane in Washington, DC, in January had inaccurate altitude readings.
The NTSB initiated a hearing in Washington on Wednesday, focusing on the January 29 crash between an American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas, and a Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan National Airport, which resulted in the deaths of 67 individuals.
Air traffic controllers had previously raised concerns about helicopter traffic near the airport for years leading up to the incident, yet issues regarding the Black Hawk’s flight path remained unaddressed.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reportedly has not notified pilots or altered flight routes, despite 85 near-misses at the airport over the past three years.
NTSB Chairman Jennifer Homendi commented at the hearing that the bureaucracy involved has drawn substantial criticism from the public concerned about safety.
Army and FAA representatives initially suggested that the lack of separation between air traffic controllers and the planes and helicopters was part of the problem, later indicating that the established route was not designed to ensure adequate separation.
The Army acknowledged that the altitude gauge on the Black Hawk could misread by over 100 feet, which is significant given that pilots strive to maintain their altitude within that range.
Attorney Bob Clifford, representing several victims’ families, noted that there was a lot of “blame-shifting” and a lack of accountability during the hearings.
While the final report is not expected until next year, insights from Wednesday’s session highlighted how small the discrepancies were in the helicopter’s flight path that night.
Investigators indicated that the flight data recorder showed the helicopter was flying 80 to 100 feet higher than what the pilot’s barometric altimeter indicated.
The NTSB tested three other helicopters from the same unit in the area and found similar discrepancies with their altimeters.
Concerns were raised that the established flight paths around the airport, especially when a plane is landing, were insufficient. Scott Rosengren, the chief engineer managing the Army’s utility helicopters, expressed his worries about having less than 500 feet of separation.
Rosengren mentioned that if he had the authority, he would phase out the older Black Hawk models involved in the crash in favor of newer versions.
A couple of minutes before the incident, an air traffic controller was managing communications with various aircraft at the airport, which included different frequencies for several helicopters and planes not involved in the collision.
All aircraft could hear the control tower, but the helicopters could only communicate with other helicopters, leading to missed transmissions regarding the positions of nearby planes.
The NTSB report detailed 29 separate communications between the tower and other aircraft just prior to the crash. Previous recordings had a helicopter pilot asserting twice that he would avoid the plane.
There were also concerns raised regarding night vision goggles used by helicopter pilots, which may have affected their visibility during the flight.
The investigation uncovered that the FAA failed to recognize a troubling history of 85 near-misses at the airport three years prior and that Army helicopters routinely operated in critical areas without adequate ADS-B tracking.
Some systems were improperly installed, which compounded the issues during the incident.
Once the shortcomings were identified, the Army issued warnings and acted to reprogram the systems for proper functionality.
Homendi stated that the warnings from the tower indicated clear safety risks, but after the tragedy, the FAA responded by transferring the managerial staff away from the tower without acknowledging the initial concerns.
Senator Ted Cruz introduced legislation requiring all aircraft to use both ADS-B transmission formats, noting that while most contemporary aircraft already include ADS-B out systems, a more comprehensive approach is necessary.
The proposed bill would remove the Department of Defense’s exemption concerning ADS-B transmission requests. Homendi noted that her agency has advocated for such measures for years after several incidents.
Transport Secretary Sean Duffy expressed a desire to consider “some adjustments” while endorsing the bill as a positive step, criticizing the Biden administration for inaction amid numerous near-misses in Washington.
