There are conflicting reports of whether the two pilots were wearing night vision goggles at the time. I know two Army helicopter pilots and both have said they feel it odd that both would in this situation.
I have seen these reports. The issue is that even at night, this area has abundant ambient light from the city. If you have ever used NVG's you know they limit your field of view and wreck you depth perception. If one pilot had them on for training (which I still don't understand) the other should not have them on.NTSB Findings on the Black Hawk Flight
NTSB Chairman Jennifer Homendy announced on Thursday, February 6, 2025, that the purpose of the Black Hawk flight was to conduct an NVG check ride. Preliminary data from the helicopter’s cockpit voice recorder (CVR) indicated that the Black Hawk crew was likely wearing NVGs during the flight.
The Role of Night Vision Goggles in the Black Hawk–CRJ700 Midair Collision - Nurenberg Paris
The Role of Night Vision Goggles in the Black Hawk–CRJ700 Midair Collision - Nurenberg Pariswww.nphm.com
www.11alive.com
This is insanity.Planes clip wings at DCA with members of Congress on board
Articles and videos about Planes clip wings at DCA with members of Congress on board on FOX 5 DC.www.fox5dc.com
www.flightglobal.com
I don't agree with much of this. I was in the Army for quite a while. While I was not in aviation, I am very familiar with the "train as your fight" concept. But that would not apply here. These guys were in a civilian area and have to comply with rules. You don't conduct training that endangers civilians. And this complies with my army pilot friends that say that both pilots here should NOT be wearing night vision. This is a well let area, night vision actually inhibits your vision and field of view. If both pilots were indeed wearing night vision, that was incredibly irresponsible. In regard to the commercial jet changing runways, that direction came several minutes earlier and should have had no bearing on the directions given to the helicopter to avoid them.IMO, this may have come down to the defined "training mission" for the specific pilots onboard who may have each required hours on NVG. In other words, this was not likely a routine thing.
“The military goes by the philosophy that you train as you fight,” McCormick told the Guardian US. This means training exercises take place at all times of day and night and in inclement weather and that military equipment will experience more wear and tear “than it would if you’re flying a civilian helicopter on a tour around Manhattan”.
The army helicopter unit involved in the DC crash was conducting an annual training for its “continuity of government” mission, which involves the evacuation of high-level government officials from the nation’s capital in the event of an emergency, Pete Hegseth said.
“The military does dangerous things. It does routine things on [a] regular basis,” said the defense secretary. “Tragically, last night, a mistake was made.” [..]
1 Feb 2025 - Guardian US
Other possible explanations include the misidentification of the approaching commercial aircraft by the Black Hawk crew, perhaps due in part to the crew using night vision goggles.
Recordings of air traffic control communications reveal flight 5342 was directed to an alternate runway at Washington National shortly before landing. While that is not an uncommon occurrence, a retired UH-60 pilot told the Associated Press the approach to runway 33 brings commercial aircraft much closer to – indeed, directly over – the designated helicopter flight corridor.
“I had that exact same incident several years ago,” former National Guard pilot Darrell Feller told the news outlet. “There was a commercial jet landing on 33 and I could not see him. I lost him in the city lights.” [..]
“Moving lights get mixed up with ground lights,” Feller notes.
The approach to runway 33 would have placed the incoming aircraft at an oblique angle to the oncoming UH-60, meaning the regional jet’s approach lights would not pointed directly at the helicopter’s crew, he adds.
Night vision equipment and crowded airspace under scrutiny in Washington collision
A former helicopter pilot familiar with the incident area says city lights, crowded airspace and the use of night vision equipment by military pilots make for a hectic operating environment.
<modsnip - DM is an approved source> The mission of NTSB investigations is exactly the opposite of what it's implying. They're looking for all of the things that went wrong to cause the accident without assigning blame to any one party. IMO
Just overwhelmed. Traffic is high in the airport.
www.wusa9.com
Looks like Elon Musk wants the US to use his company to replace our air traffic control system. Interesting .Radar screens at Newark Airport went black again early Friday morning.
Air traffic controllers could be heard telling a FedEx plane that their screens went dark and then asked them to tell their company to put pressure on to get the problem fixed.
In another transmission, you can hear the controller telling a private jet arriving from Cyprus that they just had a brief radar outage and to stay at or above 3,000 feet in case they can't get in touch during their descent.
Radar went black for air traffic controllers at Newark Airport again
Air traffic controllers could be heard telling a FedEx plane that their screens went dark and then asked them to tell their company to put pressure on to get the problem fixed.6abc.com
