DCA - American Airlines passenger plane collides with Blackhawk over the Potomac River, all 67 on both dead, 29 Jan 2025

[Charlot123]

Yes, we don't know yet. That's why I speculated on why the NTSB even brought it up when they don't have the facts yet. JMO.

There is a difficult situation.

NTSB has to provide answers (and quick).

Several entities:

The military with its helicopter that has been stonewalling a lot IMHO.

The ATC - I have my own questions. Manned by 5 people ≠ 5 people working. If one ATC has to deal with both CRJ and the heli it is not good. It might be so that: the head of the shift walks around, the supervisor “supervises”, the intern is clueless. Question is not how many people “were” in tower but how many were controlling the traffic.

This was published today. Still looks there weren’t enough ATCs to work?

DC plane crash: ATC staffing levels under scrutiny as barges arrive to help salvage ops | Fox News

Barges are expected to arrive in the D.C area on Saturday to help with salvage operations from Wednesday's deadly plane crash at Regan National Airport as investigator's probe the cause of a collision that left 67 people dead.

www.foxnews.com

And then, we have the airport and the AA

And the relatives

Mr. Inman remembered “the Challenger”. I was thinking yesterday, that time, a mistake was made, but the past managers were unafraid to take responsibility. Larry Mullloy never tried to blame others. Roger Boisjoly - the engineer with MT who objected to the launch - was unafraid to be the whistleblower.

All the weight of this world can’t be on Mr. Inman’s shoulders.

 

[Simply Southern]

Short runways that back up to the Potomac River, crisscrossing, adding to the multiple complexities.

Google Image Result for https://www.flightaware.com/resources/airport/KDCA/APD/AIRPORT+DIAGRAM/png

images.app.goo.gl

 

[cledco]

While I would expect officers to speak well of their colleagues, I don’t think they’d lie or embellish. It sounds like she was intelligent, hard working, skilled, and qualified.

They'll mostly say whatever boilerplate the PAO in charge of the matter tells them they can or should say, before editorial privilege. It's just not indicative of much either way, especially in the context of the inclusion of awards you literally get by default for showing up. I don't wish to impugn her any more than I would the subjects of half a dozen similar articles whom I knew personally, that's just how it works.

 

[Deleted member 39678]

There is a difficult situation.

NTSB has to provide answers (and quick).

Several entities:

The military with its helicopter that has been stonewalling a lot IMHO.

The ATC - I have my own questions. Manned by 5 people ≠ 5 people working. If one ATC has to deal with both CRJ and the heli it is not good. It might be so that: the head of the shift walks around, the supervisor “supervises”, the intern is clueless. Question is not how many people “were” in tower but how many were controlling the traffic.

This was published today. Still looks there weren’t enough ATCs to work?

DC plane crash: ATC staffing levels under scrutiny as barges arrive to help salvage ops | Fox News

Barges are expected to arrive in the D.C area on Saturday to help with salvage operations from Wednesday's deadly plane crash at Regan National Airport as investigator's probe the cause of a collision that left 67 people dead.

www.foxnews.com

And then, we have the airport and the AA

And the relatives

Mr. Inman remembered “the Challenger”. I was thinking yesterday, that time, a mistake was made, but the past managers were unafraid to take responsibility. Larry Mullloy never tried to blame others. Roger Boisjoly - the engineer with MT who objected to the launch - was unafraid to be the whistleblower.

All the weight of this world can’t be on Mr. Inman’s shoulders.

The NTSB providing answers is great. Putting out information and at the same time saying it may not be accurate doesn't seem to be in anyone's best interest at this early stage to me.

It sure confused the reporters at the press conference. JMO.

 

[Charlot123]

It was a South Korean airline called Jeju Air and I believe it was flying from Thailand to South Korea on December 30th. It was a Boeing 737-800 jet and only two of the 181 people on board survived. There is a thread on this plane crash here on WS, I'll see if I can find the link. The South Korean probe after the crash states that they found duck remains in both engines of the airplane. The aircraft made an emergency declaration for a bird strike just before landing.

Jeju Air is the third major airline in South Korea after Korean Air and Asiana Airlines. They appear to be a lower cost alternative and fly domestically and regional international routes. In any event, it was the worse airline crash disaster in South Korea's history.

To add: Muan airport is one of the few on the west coast of South Korean Peninsula. It is relatively new and the Thailand flight was its first international one. Maybe we have biologists here; all I read was that there are more birds migration pathways along the West coast of South Korea.

That runway was 2800 meters. However, it was shortened to 2,500 meters during the extension project. I started checking EMAS (arrester beds) at runways. They are becoming more popular here. Reagan runways have them. In Muan, instead of EMAS, they had a tall concrete barrier. Everyone blames Jeju Air and I think that Muan airport was a disaster.

 

[BeginnerSleuther]

I just finished watching the NTSB press conference. I found the reporters questions to be very poor. Some seemed to have not been following this accident very closely at all and asked poor questions. Others had a hard time understanding the information being given and keep asking the same thing over and over even when explained in a way a child could figure it out. JMO.

I had the exact opposite impression. I thought they asked good questions that would lead to the soundbytes they need to tell the story. Most people don't follow these types of stories on social media, so the reporters need to break it down to elementary levels in a lot of cases.

MOO.

 

[Tricia]

Do you remember the annoying old days when Websleuths.com had a zillion ads on the site?
Those days are GONE and let's keep them gone. Help us keep ads off of Websleuths.
Sign up for a subscription to DNA Solves.com and make a monthly donation.
Not only does this keep those awful ads off of Websleuths, but you are helping the families of the missing get the answers they deserve.
Find out how you can become a subscriber to DNA Solves.com by CLICKING HERE.
If you want to make a single donation, go to www.dnasolves.com and pick a case you would like to donate to.
Do not comment on this thread. CLICK HERE to ask questions and to learn more.
Thank you very much.

 

[realanastasia]

True; and we all might remember a person who, in his time, graduated fifth from the bottom in naval academy and yet both his future service and his distinguished life indicated nothing but smarts, loyalty, and honesty.
However, in a situation like this, were he a helicopter pilot, he’d be in the majority and not needing protection. For anyone who might now find oneself in a vulnerable position, performance is the best protection. JMO.

I don’t mean to derail, but I am curious—to whom do you refer? As an American, my mind jumped to the only president to attend the Naval Academy, but Jimmy Carter graduated in the top 10 percent of his class (60th out of 821).

 

[Charlot123]

I don’t mean to derail, but I am curious—to whom do you refer? As an American, my mind jumped to the only president to attend the Naval Academy, but Jimmy Carter graduated in the top 10 percent of his class (60th out of 821).

(Thanks for remembering…Jimmy Carter was always respected; maybe his post-presidential career testified to it even more. RIP, President Carter.)

However, the guy I had in mind came close to becoming a president but didn’t make it. Still, a distinguished person who commands respect regardless of personal views.

John McCain - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[Vern]

As long as those in command were giving the same options to all three of the families of service members who lost their lives in the helicopter crash, then it wouldn't be odd. But we had identification of two of the service members early on, and without long statements of their credentials, etc. from their families. Maybe they didn't realize that they could ask for time to put that together and in that way honor their loved ones.

It's up to the families of fallen service members to give the go ahead on releasing their names once the NOK has all been notified. This is to ensure that we don't read about our very own son's or daughter's names in the public domain prior to family being officially made aware.

This happened to me when my best friend was killed serving in Somalia while his parents were on a camping trip in the days before cell phones. Some idiot 'passed it along' to his wife who then figured it was OK to run to the news with it (it would be twitter or facebook these days) ... and his parents heard it on the radio as RCMP was desperately looking for their license plate along the BC highway trying to find them and make notification. Absolutely shameful.

WE owe them that much respect at the very least. The are serving their nation whether deployed or not. Respect that.

IMO.

 

[Deleted member 39678]

I had the exact opposite impression. I thought they asked good questions that would lead to the soundbytes they need to tell the story. Most people don't follow these types of stories on social media, so the reporters need to break it down to elementary levels in a lot of cases.

MOO.

The impression I got was that the NTSB spokesman broke the altitude information down to an elementary level and the reporters kept asking the same question over and over.

Maybe they were expecting him to change his story. JMO.

 

[BeginnerSleuther]

As long as those in command were giving the same options to all three of the families of service members who lost their lives in the helicopter crash, then it wouldn't be odd. But we had identification of two of the service members early on, and without long statements of their credentials, etc. from their families. Maybe they didn't realize that they could ask for time to put that together and in that way honor their loved ones.

I can completely see why the family of a female would proactively reach out to insure her name isn't released. I can completely see why the family of a male would not think to do that. It's the same in a lot of male-dominated industries. This surprises not at all.

MOO.

 

[BeginnerSleuther]

The impression I got was that the NTSB spokesman broke the altitude information down to an elementary level and the reporters kept asking the same question over and over.

Maybe they were expecting him to change his story. JMO.

Meh, I was listening while doing other things but I really didn't think it was all that straight-forward or clear. JMO

 

[Chimera]

Short runways that back up to the Potomac River, crisscrossing, adding to the multiple complexities.

Google Image Result for https://www.flightaware.com/resources/airport/KDCA/APD/AIRPORT+DIAGRAM/png

images.app.goo.gl

View attachment 562079

Agreed !
& I'd posted a similar pic of this layout.
Without having ATC/pilot experience -- it seems possibly confusing compared to the more linear layout of other airports ?
Omo.

 

[Lilibet]

Yes. I am glad that they finally released the name. (Withholding it made the military look odd, tbh.)

BBM

Withholding her name was at her family’s request. I assumed there was a close family member (perhaps a sibling or favorite aunt) traveling out of cell range whom they wanted to inform before they learned of it on the news. If so, it makes the military look compassionate IMO.

 

[jillolantern]

I can completely see why the family of a female would proactively reach out to insure her name isn't released. I can completely see why the family of a male would not think to do that. It's the same in a lot of male-dominated industries. This surprises not at all.

MOO.

For those of us who apparently cannot completely see why that would be the case or make sense can you explain?

 

[jillolantern]

https://www.npr.org/2025/02/01/g-s1-46002/washington-dc-airport-potomac-crash-black-hawk-military-crew

Pilot belatedly identified

 

[midwest_musician]

BBM

Withholding her name was at her family’s request. I assumed there was a close family member (perhaps a sibling or favorite aunt) traveling out of cell range whom they wanted to inform before they learned of it on the news. If so, it makes the military look compassionate IMO.

I mean, I think it's highly likely they gave them time to take down all her social media. I totally get why her family wanted to do that.. and that's fine.

<modsnip>

 

[bestill]

The wife on Andrew Eaves was the one to first post his identity on Facebook in a tribute on Thursday

Ryan O’Hara’s father did an interview in which he was extremely empathetic towards the then unidentified pilot’s family so I can’t imagine he took issue with identity being withheld or that he/his family wasn’t given that same option by the military.

Father of helicopter crew chief in D.C. crash reacts to Trump's blame of DEI

Reaction to President Trump's comments about DEI and the Washington, D.C., plane crash is coming from Gary O'Hara, the father of Ryan O'Hara who was crew chief on the Black Hawk helicopter that collided with an American Airlines plane Wednesday. Timothy Lilley is also speaking out about his son...

www.cbsnews.com

The other two service members weren’t facing unfair attacks on their capabilities. I don’t think that can be ignored as I’m sure that did factor into the decision making

BBM I never read about anyone being attacked unfairly. I did read questions about why the last one to be identified was being held up. Do you have a source?

 

[PaulaDC]

'Earned her place': Friends grieve Rebecca Lobach, US Army pilot killed in DC crash

The Army withheld the name of Capt. Rebecca Lobach, the US Army pilot killed in a disastrous crash on Wednesday, for an extra day.

www.usatoday.com