NTSB Hearing: Key Findings on Deadly Midair DC Plane Crash

Midair Collision and Initial Findings

• 💥 New video released by the NTSB shows the moment an Army helicopter collided with an American Airlines regional jet near Washington's Reagan National Airport.
• 💔 The crash on January 29th resulted in the deaths of 67 people.
• 🔍 The NTSB is conducting a 3-day hearing to investigate the fatal collision.

FAA and Near Misses

• ⚠️ Investigators highlighted the FAA's failure to recognize a history of 85 near collisions around the airport in recent years.
• 🗣️ There were tense exchanges during the hearing, with investigators expressing frustration over the flow of information from the Army and the FAA.

Aircraft Communications and Pilot Concerns

• ✈️ Transcripts from the airplane's voice recorder revealed the pilots' misgivings about a last-minute runway change.
• ❓ The captain expressed concern about changing runways, stating, "It's fine. We'll do it."
• 📡 A key concern is whether the helicopter lost sight of the airplane after the runway change, as transmissions to the helicopter were only partially received.

Final Moments and Altimeter Issues

• 🚨 In the final moments, the airplane's pilots realized the helicopter was on a collision course approximately 2 seconds before impact.
• 😨 The pilots let out a scream of alarm and attempted to evade the helicopter by pulling back on the controls, but there wasn't enough time.
• 📊 A significant portion of the day focused on the altimeters on board the Blackhawk helicopter, which appeared to provide misleading altitude information.
• 📉 Testing revealed margins of error in the altimeters as much as 130 ft, which is critical given that margins between aircraft near DCA can be as little as 75 ft.
• ⚠️ The NTSB is concerned that the helicopter's altimeters were giving incorrect altitude readings, potentially causing pilots to believe they were flying lower than they actually were.