Small AA jet collided with a helicopter. Looked to be a medium size jet, like 50 ? Pasengers?
Plane down in DC
- Thread starter bigredfish
- Start date
Other reports saying it was NOT a police helo
Developing reports: American Airlines Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas inbound to DCA collided midair with a D.C. Police Helicopter on approach.
Developing reports: American Airlines Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas inbound to DCA collided midair with a D.C. Police Helicopter on approach.
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Mike A.
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Don't think that it was police. Said to be a Sikorsky UH-60 aka Blackhawk which likely would be military. I saw a tail number reported for the helicopter but it was in live chat and can't get back to it now. There are a ton of different helicopters in the air around here for all kinds of purposes.
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Yes most are reporting a UH-60
May not have been squawking
May not have been squawking
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Mike A.
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I think the helicopter probably just fucked up. Wrong place at the wrong time.
PAT-25 was the number. 3 onboard. It was a personnel transport out of Ft. Belvoir which is down the river. I'd guess probably headed to the Pentagon which is not far from there.
Very clear night here tonight. Should have had great visibility.
PAT-25 was the number. 3 onboard. It was a personnel transport out of Ft. Belvoir which is down the river. I'd guess probably headed to the Pentagon which is not far from there.
Very clear night here tonight. Should have had great visibility.
This is exactly the sort of thing that TCAS avoids 100% of the time. Even if the controllers are asleep. There must be a lot of gross negligence on multiple parties here.
Agree---- watch the video. Looks like the helicopter flies into the flight path of the passenger jet...
Mike A.
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That's what it looks like to me too. Or the plane came down on top of it. Either way, probably shouldn't have been there in line with final approach.
Some ex-mil pilot was on one of the channels saying he was familiar with the flight traffic and the airport and that runway 33? was rarely used and he thought it odd the plane seemed to be heading toward landing on it....speculated that the UH-60 may have made a bad assumption about that runway being closed to traffic
Mike A.
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Not sure that's right. There are only I think 3 runways there. All are regularly used depending on which way they're landing that day from what I've seen and flying in and out of there. Big jets come in/out on 19. Smaller aircraft on the other two shorter runways. The plane would have been coming in from the east likely flying up and over the river which would be to the right side of the picture below. That seems to be a standard approach.
Mike A.
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Looks like the helicopter was headed south. From the video I was thinking that it was coming up river.
I just heard that apparently they changed the approach of the plane at the last minute to that runway. Helicopter was supposed to go behind it.
I just heard that apparently they changed the approach of the plane at the last minute to that runway. Helicopter was supposed to go behind it.
Helo took off from Langley, was a VIP Transport PAT25 designation. No idea if there was a VIP aboard or not
apparently no vip
Joint Task Force National Capitol Region says helicopter that hit commercial aircraft was taking part in a training flight.
Joint Task Force National Capitol Region says helicopter that hit commercial aircraft was taking part in a training flight.
Mike A.
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Looks like the helicopter was just coming down the river. That's a typical route.
If the reports are accurate, seems the plane was supposed to come in on the main runway (19) originally but that was changed to 33 at the last minute. The helicopter was told to go behind the plane. If the helicopter didn't pick up on that change, then that would have put the plane much farther north (closer to the helicopter headed south) and more east of where it would have been expected to be and then "behind" wouldn't be behind anymore.
If the reports are accurate, seems the plane was supposed to come in on the main runway (19) originally but that was changed to 33 at the last minute. The helicopter was told to go behind the plane. If the helicopter didn't pick up on that change, then that would have put the plane much farther north (closer to the helicopter headed south) and more east of where it would have been expected to be and then "behind" wouldn't be behind anymore.
Yeah they’re saying he acknowledged the plane on visual, but apparently was looking at the wrong plane.