Investigators to wrap up public hearings into fatal midair crash between Army chopper and airplane

By JOSH FUNK Associated Press Transportation Writer The National Transportation Safety Board on Friday enters its third and final day of society testimony over the fatal midair crash between an Army helicopter and commercial jet in January Two previous days of testimony underscored a number of factors that likely contributed to the collision that left all people aboard both aircrafts dead sparking Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy to urge the Federal Aviation Administration to do better as she pointed to warnings the agency ignored years earlier Particular of the major issues that have emerged so far include the Black Hawk helicopter flying above prescribed levels near Ronald Reagan National Airport as well as the warnings to FAA functionaries for years about the hazards related to the heavy chopper traffic there It s too early for the board to identify what exactly caused the crash A final record from the board won t come until next year But it became clear this week how small a margin of error there was for helicopters flying the direction the Black Hawk took the night of the nation s deadliest plane crash since November The January collision was the first in a string of crashes and near misses this year that have alarmed personnel and the traveling population despite statistics that still show flying remains the safest form of transportation Worry over military helicopters The board focused on air traffic control and heard Thursday that it was common for pilots to ask to use visual separation or relying on their eyesight just as the Army Black Hawk s pilots who were wearing night vision goggles agreed to do the night of the crash Related Articles Howie Carr Biden s limit mess a real hangover Dozens of countries with no deals face higher tariffs as agreement deadline nears White House announces new M ballroom as part of Trump s latest makeover of The People s House Trump ally Jeffrey Clark should be disbarred over ballot effort DC panel says ICE says it has made tentative job offers to more than as hiring ramps up FAA bureaucrats also revealed controllers relied heavily on pilots using visual separation as a way to manage the complex airspace with so various helicopters flying around Washington D C But Rick Dressler an official with medevac operator Metro Aviation explained the board it is demanding to identify other aircraft in the night sky around Ronald Reagan National Airport especially if a key onboard locator system was switched off as Army choppers routinely did Dressler declared that he and other civilian helicopter pilots in the area have long been concerned about the Army and Air Force helicopters flying around Reagan airport I don t like saying this I ll say it again on the record Dressler a former Army aviator and retired Air Force officer announced I m speaking for my group there We we are all very uncomfortable when those two units are operating The Department of Defense referred questions about Thursday s testimony to the Army which did not right now respond Army personnel at the hearing did ask Dressler to elaborate on his concerns and consider visiting the Pentagon to share them Dressel reported part of what worries him is the relative lack of experience of the military pilots who may have only been in the area a short time and don t understand the complex airspace around Washington D C They don t get the seasoning here to really truly understand how the airspace works disclosed Dressel who also complained that the Army helicopter unit no longer participates in regular meetings with all the other aviators in the area to discuss issues The Air Force also did not right now respond to questions about Dressler s remarks The American Airlines jet arrived from Wichita Kansas carrying among others a group of elite young figure skaters their parents and coaches and four union steamfitters from the Washington area Final moments Testimony covered much ground including the final audio communications from pilots aboard the Army chopper The Black Hawk s crew had been communicating with the airport s control tower although the helicopter pilots did not fully hear the controller s instructions The Black Hawk pilots described the tower twice in the minutes before the crash that they had the American Airlines voyager plane in sight and would maintain proper separation But when the controller instructed the pilots to pass behind the jet the crew didn t hear that instruction because the Black Hawk s microphone key was pressed at that moment Just before the collision an instructor pilot aboard the helicopter petitioned the pilot at the controls to come left But it wasn t clear if the pilot had time to maneuver the helicopter before the crash Kinda come left for me ma am the instructor announced The pilot responded Sure Concern about distances between planes and helicopters John Cox an aviation safety expert and retired airline pilot reported the hearings are headed in the right direction to determine what happened and to prevent similar accidents His main concerns focus on the Black Hawk helicopter including why it was above the -feet meters elevation limit for that particular helicopter trail Another question is why the Black Hawk wasn t closer to the east bank of the Potomac River where it would have been further away from landing airplanes I ve passed helicopters underneath me over the east bank of the Potomac a lot of times announced Cox who flew commercial airliners for years And there s constantly been plenty of separation It s not a lot because the space is so constrained But you re dealing with professional pilots and it s not been a predicament Investigators explained Wednesday the flight information recorder evidenced the helicopter was indeed feet to feet to meters higher than the barometric altimeter the pilots relied upon manifested they were flying Associated Press writers David Klepper Mike Catalini Leah Askarinam Ben Finley and Rio Yamat contributed to this story