PSA CRJ-700 AA midair collision

[DeltaAlphaNovember]

Damn. This is horrible. I used to know a lot of people at PSA. But most have moved on.

 

[MikeD]

Helicopter Route 4 runs up the Potomac between DCA and BOF crossing the approach end of RW33

 

[ChasenSFO]

What in the bloody eff is a Blackhawk doing there?!

 

[MikeD]

Does military aircraft show up on TCAS?

It should, as it would be squawking Mode 3

 

[MikeD]

What in the bloody eff is a Blackhawk doing there?!

Flying the route up/down the Potomac Question is, how was the CRJ not seen visually by the Blackhawk?

 

[bbmikej]

Helicopter Route 4 runs up the Potomac between DCA and BOF, crossing the approach end of RW33

 

[CFI A&P]

What in the bloody eff is a Blackhawk doing there?!

Fairly common to have alphabet agencies flying their helicopters up the River.

 

[MikeD]

Yup. One of many in the DCA area, just like in most Class B areas that have same. Tower to tower control.

 

[Shiftace]

Thoughts are with those affected by this tragedy.

Sent from my SM-X210 using Tapatalk

 

[Cory Trevor]

Flying the route up/down the Potomac Question is, how was the CRJ not seen visually by the Blackhawk?

Tower asks and although we can’t hear the response you assume they say yes because then they’re told to pass behind

 

[Wardogg]

Flying the route up/down the Potomac Question is, how was the CRJ not seen visually by the Blackhawk?

More than likely looking at the wrong airplane.

 

[bbmikej]

Yup. One of many in the DCA area, just like in most Class B areas that have same. Tower to tower control.

If you sit at the Netherlands Carillon near the USMC memorial, they go flying up and down the river every 20 or so minutes

 

[ChasenSFO]

Helicopter Route 4 runs up the Potomac between DCA and BOF at a hard 1000’ MSL, crossing the approach end of RW33

Sure but with 33 in use they'd have to call DCA tower right?

Seems more likely the Blackhawk was forgotten about than it was just going Leeroy Jenkins NORDO past an active runway threshold.

 

[MikeD]

PAT is Army VIP flight callsign out of DAA.

 

[juxtapilot]

Tower asks and although we can’t hear the response you assume they say yes because then they’re told to pass behind

On another feed you can hear them report the “CRJ in sight and will maintain visual.”

 

[MikeD]

Sure but with 33 in use they'd have to call DCA tower right?

Yes. They’d be transiting DCAs airspace. Tower to tower control. Likely given the CRJ as traffic and to call it in sight and pass behind it, maintaining visual separation. Why they didn’t see a brightly lit CRJ, looking low to high, on a predictable flightpath to RW33, is the question

 

[Cory Trevor]

do NVGs limit your view? I know nothing about the military so I don’t know if they’d be using them. Just curious

 

[MikeD]

Unless, they saw another aircraft and mistook it for the CRJ.

 

[Wardogg]

do NVGs limit your view? I know nothing about the military so I don’t know if they’d be using them. Just curious

In a city environment like that? Yes. Every light is the same in the goggles. Hard to differentiate between light sources. A lot of bloom and washout.

 

[TUCKnTRUCK]

Yes. They’d be transiting DCAs airspace. Tower to tower control. Likely given the CRJ as traffic and to call it in sight and pass behind it, maintaining visual separation. Why they didn’t see a brightly lit CRJ, looking low to high, on a predictable flightpath to RW33, is the question

In the video there’s an aircraft preceding it… which would be my guess.

I could be wrong, but Helo’s don’t get RA’s like we do correct? And in that sense if the CRJ is RA inhibit at <1500 feet, would just be a traffic alert for them.