Army Black Hawk Pilot Failed to Heed Warnings Before Deadly DC Mid-Air Crash

New Report on Deadly Mid-Air Collision

• 💡 A new report from The New York Times reveals multiple safety failures in the January mid-air collision near Reagan National Airport that killed 67 people.
• 🎯 The report specifically points to the Army Black Hawk pilot, Captain Rebecca Lobach, for failing to follow instructions.

Pilot's Actions and Missed Warnings

• ⚠️ Captain Lobach reportedly missed an order from her co-pilot and flight instructor, Andrew Eaves, who was overseeing a training mission.
• ✈️ The missed order was to change course to avoid an oncoming American Airlines jet.
• 👂 Additionally, the helicopter crew is said to have missed key information from air traffic control by talking over instructions.

Air Traffic Control Communications

• 💬 In audio recordings, 20 seconds before the crash, the tower asked the Black Hawk if they had the plane in sight and to pass behind it.
• 🎛️ The helicopter pilot requested visual separation, which was approved, but it was too late.
• 🔊 The NTSB corroborated that the Black Hawk crew may not have heard air traffic control because they had stepped on the audio, missing directives about the plane circling.

NTSB Findings on Communication Breakdown

• 📊 The NTSB stated in February that air traffic control had twice informed the Black Hawk pilots that the plane was changing runways and circling to land.
• 🚫 CVR data indicated that the portion of the transmission stating the CRJ was circling may not have been received by the Black Hawk crew.