Aviation experts believe Black Hawk was looking at wrong plane before fatal crash: 'It was pilot error'

WASHINGTON, DC: Aviation experts are suggesting that the pilot of the Army Black Hawk helicopter involved in a fatal collision with an American Airlines passenger plane on Wednesday, January 29, may have failed to see the commercial flight before the crash. 

The tragic incident claimed the lives of 64 people aboard the American Airlines flight and three soldiers on the helicopter.

Expert believes pilot error contributed to crash

"I guarantee it was basically pilot error," an active duty Army helicopter pilot, who wished to remain anonymous, told People. The pilot, who has investigated other helicopter collisions in the past, but is not part of the current investigation, provided insights into the situation.

He explained that the Black Hawk had taken responsibility for its own separation of traffic, meaning the helicopter was tasked with monitoring and managing its own flight path.

"The Black Hawk accepted responsibility for the separation of traffic. That means, they would monitor and address the flight paths themselves. The Black Hawk asked for 'visual separation,' meaning, 'We got this.' That took [the responsibility] off Air Traffic Control's shoulders," the expert explained. 

Once the responsibility was transferred to the Black Hawk, the control tower was no longer actively managing its flight path. "When that happens, the tower is now consumed with whatever the priorities are — the next alligator closest to the canoe," the pilot added.

The pilot pointed out that the tower did, however, ask the Black Hawk if it had the American Airlines plane in sight. "They were not looking at the RJ," the pilot explained.

Laurie Garrow, a professor and director of the Air Transportation Lab at Georgia Tech, agrees with the assessment.

"It does appear that [the Black Hawk pilot] thought he had sight on the aircraft, but there were multiple aircraft in the area. And it may be that he had sight on a different aircraft. So I don't think he was aware that he was in the flight path of this American Eagles flight or maneuvered to avoid a different one," Garrow explained.

She also noted that the airspace above Washington, DC, is particularly challenging to navigate.

"In DC, those lanes are very narrow because we have a lot of buildings that are close by the airport. So when you take off, you have to climb at a certain altitude or do some very quick turns to be able to avoid the tall buildings and also sensitive areas," Garrow noted. 

She went on to say, "You can't fly over the White House, can't fly over memorials and malls. So it's very common that aircraft are going on the Potomac, but that probably also creates more congestion and things to manage, particularly if you're mixing commercial and military operations."

Captain Mike Coffield highlights nighttime visibility challenges and technical gaps in helicopter collision

Captain Mike Coffield, with more than 22,000 hours of experience, also told People that it's "difficult" to see the airspace clearly at night, particularly with lights shining and planes taking off for departure.

Offering technical details, Coffield explained, "The helicopter doesn't carry what's called TCAs, which is traffic resolution or conflict because helicopters — and especially military helicopters — fly next to each other all the time. It would be going off all the time."

He mentioned that he was "pretty confident" the two planes had not seen each other before the collision, but he stated that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) would ultimately determine what happened after conducting debris and sonar analyses.

"[The NTSB] will be able to determine exactly where the helicopter hit the airplane. They'll be able to determine the angle that hit the airplane just by doing the debris field sonar," remarked Coffield, the CEO of KM Cargo.

He also agreed that the Black Hawk was "possibly" avoiding a different aircraft, rather than the American Airlines plane. He explained that on "any night," there could be up to 10 or more airplanes flying near the Potomac River, where the collision occurred.

As a result, it was possible that the Black Hawk pilot thought the air traffic controller was referring to a different plane when asking if they had the aircraft in sight.

"You may not even be looking there because first of all, you wouldn't anticipate it because seeing all those airplanes come up the river," he said.

"Everyone wants answers right now, and I don't blame them," the Army helicopter pilot revealed. "This is a shocking and horrible event. But these things take time. you have to comb through every last detail. There will be a preliminary report in about 30 days and a more detailed report a year or more out."

The pilot also expressed sympathy for the families of the victims, adding, "I can't imagine what it must be like for those families. It's unfathomable. It should not have happened. But it did. It really did happen."