Thoughts on the air tragedies

George Rebane

Two air tragedies happened in our land just a couple of days apart.  Yesterday’s medevac Learjet carrying six people came down within a minute after take-off from a Philadelphia airport.  The fuel-ladened jet plummeted at a 45 degree angle into a neighborhood crowded with residences and commercial outlets.  So far the expert talking heads assign the cause to equipment failure, most likely one or both engines’ reverse thrusters unexpectedly self-deployed as the aircraft was accelerating at full thrust, not yet having sufficient airspeed and altitude for any possible corrective action by the pilot.

As a complex system, an aircraft operates at the marginal stability boundaries of its performance envelope just after take-off and on final approach before landing.  Almost all aircraft, from the heavies to light private airplanes, adopt a three-degree down angle during the last part of their final approach.  Depending on the geography and other restrictions surrounding the destination airport, this descent path may start as far as ten miles, or even further, from touchdown.  The American Airlines flight into Reagan International was on 'short final' and clearly on such a descent trajectory when it was struck by the Army Blackhawk helicopter.

The unresolved factor about the impact of the two aircraft was their altitude.  We are told that the helicopter was restricted to stay below 200ft AGL (above ground level) in that area which included the final approach part of Reagan’s traffic pattern into runway 33 for which the airliner was cleared to land, and under supposedly tight air traffic control.  The best available data so far indicates the AA flight was at about 300ft AGL when struck.  Conclusion – the Blackhawk was not maintaining altitude discipline in a congested flight traffic area.

My take on the whole thing about the collision is completely different.  I strongly believe that when the normal flight path on final to a runway requires the aircraft to descend through at least 1,000ft AGL, then the entire airspace below the aircraft to ground level ‘belongs’ to the landing aircraft, and EVERYONE should be required to stay clear of it including to at least 200 yards on either side of the runway centerline extended.  It is not unusual for aircraft to drift off the three-degree descent trajectory on final and quickly apply corrective control.  (Have experienced this myself to know that it’s not a problem when the air around you is yours.)  Such diversions may be due to momentary pilot inattention, engine/control surface problems, and most dangerously the undetected downdraft.  Over the years several accidents have happened on final due to each of these causes.  Most scary is the undetected downdraft which can slam the landing aircraft into the ground.  This has happened enough times over the years to strongly recommend/require that the above-described rule be adopted nationwide.  And many more landings have come so close to being slammed into the ground that such fortunate aircraft recovered and landed with the proverbial weeds in their undercarriage.

In congested airspace, as in the pattern region of Reagan International, allowing aircraft to legally fly within a hundred feet vertical separation on final, in my mind is criminal.  The landing aircraft on final and within seconds of touchdown should always know that the air from ground up and to either side belongs to him and is free of all other air traffic.

Comments

[Gregory]

I saw one animation based on ADSB data from both aircraft that had them colliding at 360' AGL, last reports from each aircraft... the CRJ was right where they should have been with a standard approach configuration, but the helo was not.

The helo was flying erratically and it might have been an intentional collision. We shall see.

[Don Bessee]

G @212 It does look fishy they wont release the name of the chopper pilot.

;-)

[Gregory]

I don't necessarily see fishiness there... the family requested the hold.

I would like to hear the recording of the helo crew.

[Gregory]

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/army-releases-name-of-3rd-soldier-who-died-in-helicopter-and-airliner-crash/3833258/

Cpt. Rebecca M. Lobach was from Durham, N.C. and "more than 450 hours of flight time"

[Scott O]

"... then the entire airspace below the aircraft to ground level ‘belongs’ to the landing aircraft, and EVERYONE should be required to stay clear of it..."

I believe ATC advised the helo to pass behind the airliner. There is speculation the helo pilot had spotted a plane that had just taken off and assumed that was the craft to pass to the rear of.
It is obvious the helo was not at the correct altitude.

[Gregory]

ATC directed the helo to pass behind the CRJ after the helo claimed they had it in sight and requested the responsiblility for separation. Who was talking for the helo at that time is not known at this time.

This is one of the shortcuts that enable busy airports to serve more airplanes... but it is in effect the honor system.

[Gregory]

"In congested airspace, as in the pattern region of Reagan International, allowing aircraft to legally fly within a hundred feet vertical separation on final, in my mind is criminal"

That was not the case in this case. The helo was restricted to below 200'AGL.

[George Rebane]

Gregory 656pm - I did mention the restriction and cited the report that the airliner was at about 300ft AGL. But on final that close to touchdown the CRJ could be at literally any altitude. I failed to mention the CRJ's trailing downwash that normally descends, thereby any following aircraft, especially if they are lighter, are advised to follow or intersect the turbulence at an altitude higher than the generating aircraft. Moreover, if the Blackhawk was tracking the wrong aircraft, then it really didn't know that it was in the final approach volume for runway 33. Which brings up the question of what ATC frequency had they been monitoring, since clearly there would have been multiple transmissions clearing the CRJ to land on 33. My criticism is therefore valid and stands.

[The Estonian Fox]

The NTSB press conference from last night released 'good' (i.e. verified; confident) data on the CRJ altitude = 325 ft +/- 25 ft. Todd Inman (NTSB spokesperson) said this 325 number came from the ADS-B & FDR on the CRJ. NTSB did not release any good data for the helo because NTSB did not review the actual data from the helo black box yet. But NTSB said the tower radar display showed the helo at 200 ft altitude, as seen on the radar screen, by one of the controllers in the tower, but NTSB did not say this was verified data. So there's discrepancy between good data, and 'possibly good' data. CRJ is 20'8" from wheels to tail-top.

Obviously, even 7th grade math kids know the difference between 2 lines that intersect, and 2 that don't. 200 and 300 don't intersect, so data somewhere is off. Of course, anyone doing any engineering work knows - you always have 'good' data, until the s hits the f, then you have to work on it.

Inman said they expected to release some helo flight data today 2/2. There was water intrusion into the helo box, a combined CVR/FDR, (there was water into the CRJ CVR too), so they rinse?? in de-ionized water, put into vacuum oven.

NTSB doesn't know yet if the night vision goggles were actually being worn by anyone in the helo at impact, though the training mission would have used NV at some time during the helo flight.

Probably one of many YT with the NTSB conference:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxCm3_X37jQ

Todd Inman & Bryce Banning (incident investigator, 8000 hours as pilot, certified airframe/PP mechanic, ATR, CFI for multi-engine & IFR). Finally, a presser with actual information (leaves JBiden out) without bluster (sometimes leaves DJT & most congress folks out).

[The Estonian Fox]

There were 5 controllers in the tower at the time of the crash. Inman listed their function (not names). George is absolutely correct, that landing approach lanes should be guaranteed to be clear of traffic on the landing path. I think that ATC was not practicing 'control' when they didn't instruct the helo to take a vector away from the landing path of the CRJ, rather than relying on the helo picking VFR for visual separation. Told to 'pass behind' only works when all parties agree on what plane they are actually passing behind.

The helo was transmitting UHF, the CRj on VHF, so neither pilot could hear the other. They could both hear the tower, but I think there was not nearly as much communicating done by the tower as needed, especially if the helo did not choose the correct plane that he said he had in sight. There was another flight on final for runway 1, to land after CRJ touched down, but that would be 2 miles farther from the helo, though that plane's landing lights would have been directly pointing at the helo at about 180 degrees, whereas the CRJ was at 120 degrees to the helo flight path.

Those folks are crazy in DC. And the FAA rules are just as bad for DCA area pilots.

[Gregory]

" Told to 'pass behind' only works when all parties agree on what plane they are actually passing behind."

And when all parties are intending to fly by the rules and not intentionally cause an accident.

The helo was at or below 200' until the final phase of their flight, when they climed to about 360'.

[The Estonian Fox]

So it looks like the last recorded altitude of the helo was "003" = around 300 feet, not the 200 feet (002) as reported. Not sure why Todd Inman was not aware of this. So the radar screen in the tower has only a gross approximation of altitude. Most flights are 350 +/- at cruise altitude (35,000 feet) so who cares about 100-foot separation there, where the CAS would alert both planes anyway. So at very low altitudes, the radar screen is 'kinda close', but not real accurate.

Look at the video radar screen from the 2:00 mark to 2:40 mark. The plane (JIA5342) is at 008 = 800 feet (or so) at 2:00. Helo shows 002. At 2:25, helo =003, plane 004. At 2:33, the planes are nearly on top of one another. I take that the crash altitude was then 325 feet +/- 25 ft. So the units/tens digits are not displayed for altitude on the ATC radar screen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiOybe-NJHk

Video is from VASAviation website. Looks like YouTube has better info than the MSM has. Seems the MSM doesn't even bother to check those guys in flyover country for accurate info.

[The Estonian Fox]

That darn Trump, how vile & stupid he is, with his DEI pronouncement/association with the DC crash-

The PIC was a gay woman, with few flight hours - 450 is not a lot; we don't know if most were in a chopper or not. The other pilot had 1000 hours, also not a lot. A regional commercial carrier generally requires 1500 hours to start flying.

Most of her social media has been scrubbed.

[Gregory]

And the apparemtly gay woman piloting the helo had been an aide in the White House, seen recently accompanying clothing designer Ralph Lauren when he was there to receive a medal... standing next to Joe Biden and holding RL's arm when the medal was presented.

She did look splendid in her dress uniform, but in the past two weeks DEI was scrubbed and her future looked very different.

Did that have anything to do with the crash? I don't know, and neither do you.

This isn't about me but I will say I have logged 1500 hours flying since 1973. Have instrument rating, no midair collisions.

[Gregory]

I don't know if anyone reading this is of the correct age, but all the military academies have deleted their minors in DEI as of a few days ago. Bummer.

Next, they should hunt down all the folks in active duty who have been indoctrinated into DEI (thinly veiled Marxism) to see if they're OK for national service.

[George Rebane]

Gregory 1258pm - Agreed.

[The Estonian Fox]

I believe it was Adam Schiff's office that just issued a news release last night. Added a new saying to DEI Manual 2.2.1:

"Sticks & stones & Blackhawks may break my bones, but words will never hurt me."

But the lack of words might. E.g. "LOOK OUT" wasn't spoken prior to the crash; might've helped.