The pilots of a U.S. Army helicopter that collided with a passenger jet over Washington in January would've had difficulty spotting the plane while wearing night vision goggles, experts told the National Transportation Safety Board on Friday.
The Army goggles would have made it difficult to see the plane's colored lights, which might have helped the Black Hawk determine the plane's direction. The goggles also limited the pilots' peripheral vision as they flew near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
The challenges posed by night-vision goggles were discussed at the of public testimony over the fatal midair crash, which killed all 67 people aboard both aircrafts.
Experts said another challenge that evening was distinguishing the plane from lights on the ground while the two aircraft were on a collision course. Plus, the helicopter pilots may not have known where to look for a plane that was landing on a secondary runway that most planes didn't use.
“Knowing where to look. That’s key,†said Stephen Casner, an expert in human factors who used to work at NASA.
Two underscored a number of factors that likely contributed to the collision, sparking Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy to urge the Federal Aviation Administration to “do better" as she pointed to warnings the agency ignored years earlier.
Some of the major issues that have emerged so far include the Black Hawk helicopter near the airport as well as the warnings to FAA officials 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 won’t come until next year.
But it became clear this week how small a margin of error there was for helicopters flying the route the Black Hawk took the night of the nation’s deadliest plane crash since November 2001.
The American Airlines jet arrived from Wichita, Kansas, carrying, among others, , their parents and coaches, and four union steamfitters from the Washington area.
The January collision was the first in a and this year that have alarmed officials and the traveling public, despite statistics that still show flying remains the safest form of transportation.
Questions over lack of alcohol testing
Tim Lilley, an aviation expert whose son Sam was a pilot on the passenger jet, said he’s optimistic the tragic accident will ultimately lead to some positive changes.
“But we’ve got a long way to go,†he told The Associated Press.
Lilley said he was particularly struck by the FAA’s lack of alcohol testing for air traffic controllers after the crash.
“That’s pretty disturbing because that’s automatic in aviation,†Lilly said. “Everybody knows if there’s a serious incident, you go to alcohol testing. And they made a bunch of excuses why they didn’t do it. None of them were valid. It goes back to a whole system that was complacent and was normalizing deviation.â€
Homendy brought up the lack of alcohol testing during Thursday's hearings, noting that it's most effective within two hours of a crash and can be administered within eight hours.
Nick Fuller, the FAA’s acting deputy chief operating officer of operations, testified that the controllers weren’t tested for alcohol because the agency did not immediately believe the crash was fatal. The FAA then decided to forgo it because the optimum two-hour window had passed.
NTSB board member Todd Inman pushed back, telling Fuller that the first two fatalities were confirmed 20 minutes after the crash.
“How can you tell me that you release those controllers at midnight, but you didn’t know a fatality occurred?†Inman said.
Fuller said the FAA officials who make the determination on alcohol testing did not yet have confirmation on fatalities. Fuller said the agency is taking corrective steps and that its drug and alcohol testing process is now being revised.
Worry over military helicopters
Rick Dressler, an official with medevac operator Metro Aviation, told the board on Thursday it is difficult to identify other aircraft in the night sky around Reagan National, especially if a key onboard locator system was switched off, as Army choppers routinely did.
Dressler said 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, said. “I’m speaking for my group there. We we are all very uncomfortable when those two units are operating.â€
The Department of Defense referred questions about Thursday’s testimony to the Army, which did not immediately respond. Army officials at the hearing did ask Dressler to elaborate on his concerns and consider visiting the Pentagon to share them.
Dressel said 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,†said 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 immediately respond to questions about Dressler’s remarks.
Final moments
Hearing testimony has 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 told the tower twice in the minutes before the crash that they had the American Airlines passenger plane in sight and would maintain proper distance. 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 asked 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 said.
The pilot responded: “Sure.â€
Concern about distances between planes and helicopters
John Cox, an aviation safety expert and retired airline pilot, said 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 200-feet (61 meters) elevation limit for that particular helicopter route. 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,†said Cox, who flew commercial airliners for 25 years. “And there’s always 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 problem.â€
Investigators said Wednesday the flight data recorder showed the helicopter was actually 80 feet to 100 feet (24 to 30 meters) higher than the barometric altimeter the pilots relied upon showed they were flying.
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Associated Press writers David Klepper, Mike Catalini, Leah Askarinam, Ben Finley and Rio Yamat contributed to this story.
