Just finished reading the NTSB hearing recap on the Black Hawk American Airlines crash over the Potomac and I’m stunned. Investigators say the helicopter's instruments may have shown it flying lower than it really was by up to 100 feet. That misreading put them straight into the jet’s landing path. The chilling part? Neither crew saw the other in time. And all this happened at Reagan National, which is already a maze of tight, busy airspace.
As a traveler who’s landed at DCA countless times, it’s unsettling to know that outdated equipment, night-vision complications, and a single overtasked controller were all at play. Shouldn’t we be past this kind of risk in 2025? If altimeter errors like this are known, why aren’t those aircraft grounded until fixed? Curious to hear thoughts from anyone in aviation or frequent flyers into D.C.
0