A former FAA Air Traffic Organization president says evaluating the communication and visibility issues leading up to the helicopter-jet crash at Reagan Airport will be critical to determine the cause.
It'll take months for investigators to pinpoint the exact cause of this Reagan Airport tragedy. We're getting a better idea of what transpired moments before the collision. The routes being used by both pilots show an intersection on the map. We spoke to someone very familiar with this airspace.He believes the communication between the control tower and the pilots of both aircraft will be key in getting to the bottom of this tragedy.
Air Traffic Control then instructed the Black Hawk to pass behind the commercial flight. Doctor McCormick believes the helicopter pilot didn't see the incoming jet. "With the attitude of the aircraft landing at Washington National runway 3-3, it would be difficult for the helicopter to visually acquire it because the lights would have been turned away from the helicopter," he said.He says the same would have been true for the pilots of the American Airlines flight.
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