NTSB Findings: Instructor Pilot's Failure Led to DC Midair Collision

Key Findings in the DC Midair Collision

• ✈️ The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) held a three-day hearing into the deadly midair collision over Washington, D.C., in January.
• 🎯 Matthew "Whiz" Buckley, a former Navy fighter pilot, identified the failure of the instructor pilot to maintain situational awareness as the primary cause.
• ⚠️ Buckley emphasized that while factors like altitude and communication were involved, the ultimate failure was the instructor pilot not "eyeballs out of the cockpit".

Air Traffic Control and Communication Issues

• 🚦 The NTSB hearing also examined issues with air traffic control (ATC), noting the controller was understaffed and managing two separate radios.
• 🔊 A collision alarm was heard on ATC tapes, and despite the Army helicopter pilot stating they had the passenger plane in sight, a confirmation call should have been made.
• 🚨 The lack of a clear acknowledgment of the traffic by ATC is seen as a critical domino in the chain of events.

Aircraft and Altimeter Discrepancies

• ⚙️ The Blackhawk helicopter, an older model, had issues with its location transmission system and its barometric altimeter was off by approximately 100 feet.
• 📏 While this deviation might be within tolerance for some altimeters, it was critical when operating at low altitudes where the aircraft were only 70 feet apart.
• ✈️ The NTSB highlighted that if everyone had performed their duties correctly, the mishap could have been prevented.

Pilot Responsibility and Visibility

• 🚁 The passenger plane pilots reportedly saw the helicopter at the last moment and attempted an evasive maneuver.
• 💥 The helicopter pilots, however, failed to see the much larger passenger plane, described as a "half a tennis court" in front of them, indicating an absolute failure on their part.
• 📈 The NTSB aims to learn from these mishaps to ensure such tragedies do not happen again.