Seattle aviation experts raise key questions about the DC crash

In a tragic incident over Washington, D.C., an American Airlines commuter jet flying from Wichita collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter during its final approach to Reagan National Airport. The collision, which occurred approximately half a mile off the approach, resulted in a fiery explosion and the apparent loss of all passengers and crew members on both aircraft. The crash site is now the focus of a search and recovery operation.

Seattle-based aviation analyst John Nance, a long-time commercial pilot and aviation expert, told KIRO Newsradio Thursday that there is “never a single cause” of aviation accidents. Nance has served as an aviation analyst for ABC News and authored several books on aviation safety.

There are always multiple causes for an aviation crash

“There’s always a multiplicity of causes,” Nance emphasized. “One of the chief contributing factors here is probably going to be the inability to make 100% sure that the target you were asked to look at and stay clear of is actually the target the tower was talking about.”

Primary coverage: Everyone aboard jet that collided with an Army helicopter near DC is feared dead

He noted this is an “unprecedented accident.”

“In some respects, it’s not because it involves something that we have been worried about and dealing with in aviation for time immemorial, which is a concept called ‘see and avoid.’ In many cases, it’s a fiction because you can’t really see and avoid everything at nighttime. You’ve got all sorts of lights out there, especially in Washington, D.C. The problem here may come down to a misunderstanding of what they were looking at,” he explained.

Nance explained on “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio Thursday the helicopter crew might have mistakenly identified another object as the regional jet they were supposed to avoid.

“The helicopter crew was asked if they had the RJ, the regional jet, in sight,” he said. “They said ‘Yes,’ and they probably did have something in sight that they thought was the jet, but it wasn’t. We have had near misses and tragedies based on the same sort of thing for a long, long time.”

Jason Rantz opinion: Tragic plane disaster brings out the best, and worst, of us

Another aviation expert joins conversation

Scott Hamilton, another Seattle-area aviation expert, joined “The Jake and Spike Show.”

“My first reaction was, why were they doing a training flight in this highly congested airspace at night?” Hamilton said. “I’m not a military expert, but as a commercial aviation expert, I would expect such training to be conducted in simulators, especially in contested airspace.”

Hamilton has been in commercial aviation for 42 years. He currently is managing director of Leeham Co., an aviation consulting firm on Bainbridge Island.

He said the airstrip involved is one of the busiest single-runway operations in the country, comparable to San Diego’s airport. Hamilton questioned the protocol followed by air traffic controllers, noting that there is video evidence showing the two aircraft converging and a collision avoidance warning being issued.

“We know from audio tapes that air traffic controllers contacted the helicopter pilots, warning them of the CRJ airliner,” Hamilton explained. “However, I haven’t heard of any controller warning the airliner about the helicopter’s proximity.”

When asked about the differences between flying into Reagan National and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Nance highlighted the unique challenges posed by helicopter traffic around Reagan National.

“We do have a couple of corridors around the SeaTac airport that people can fly small airplanes through as long as they don’t get too high in altitude and violate the ceiling,” he said. “But you’ve got so much helicopter traffic around the Reagan airport that they have corridors that are the pilots’ friends, so to speak. Individual conditions and communication with the tower are crucial.”

NTSB begins investigation into crash

As the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) began its investigation, Nance outlined the initial steps they would take.

“Right now, it’s about gathering information,” he shared. “Get every readout from every camera, every eyewitness, get them programmed for an interview. Do everything you can to bring in the maximum amount of information, even if it doesn’t seem like it’s necessarily on point. Then, once they have that, they will start working it out in terms of what we know and how this dynamic came together.”

Despite the tragedy, Nance reassured the public about the overall safety of air travel.

“Every day, we launch and recover over 100,000 commercial flights around the world,” he said. “This is the first major crash in the United States in 16 years with such a loss of life. The reality is, you’re in more danger driving to the airport than flying on a commercial flight. The volume of air traffic and how incredibly safe it is, is one of the preeminent accomplishments of mankind.”

Nance also reflected on the broader implications for aviation safety.

“Airline safety is not coming apart at the seams, nor is flying becoming more dangerous,” he said. “What is happening, though, is that the effects of severe operational strain resulting from rapid airline recovery and expansion in the midst of a major and prolonged pilot shortage may be starting to show, like hairline cracks in a marble wall.”

Bill Kaczaraba is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here. Follow Bill on X here and email him here. 

Charlie Harger is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of Charlie’s stories and commentaries here. Follow Charlie on X and email him here.

Listen to “Jake and Spike” weekdays from noon-3 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.