Some in the aviation industry gave insight on what may have happened with the aircraft in the crash in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday night.
They've seen some of the video and the reports, and they're giving us some thoughts, but at this point no real conclusions.
“Originally this airplane was planning on landing on runway 1,” said Robert Katz, a commercial pilot flight instructor in Dallas. “Which is the long north-south runway here at (Reagan) National Airport.”
Reports indicate that the American Airlines flight was redirected to another runway.
“And about four miles south of the runway, the tower controller informed this pilot to change to runway 33, which would be landing to the northwest,” said Katz.
Katz has talked to MTN before about previous crashes.
He emphasized that he is giving his opinion and not expert analysis.
“We see on this particular chart specific to helicopter pilots, a pair of (helicopter) routes that the American Airlines jet is going to have to cross route number 4 and route number 1 come together immediately east of the airport,” Katz said.
Those in the industry say the pilot could have chosen to circle the airport and make another approach.
“The pilot in command is always in control, contrary to popular belief,” said Marc Lackman, a retired air traffic controller. “If they don't like what the air traffic controller is telling them, they can refuse.”
Lackman lives in Laurel and worked at airports in Fairbanks, Alaska, and Great Falls.
Some information shows that the air traffic controllers alerted the helicopter pilots about the American Airlines plane.
“If this helicopter pilot would have seen the airliner coming, he could have made a pretty quick maneuver and missed it,” said Lackman.
And Katz has listened to the communication from the air traffic controllers.
“The helicopter pilot acknowledges this transmission at that point,” Katz said. “The responsibility for separation between the helicopter and the American Airlines jet now falls squarely on the shoulders of the helicopter pilot.”
“For those controllers involved, of course, that was the first thing I thought about,” Lackman said. “I hope it wasn't controller error.”
Katz says Reagan National Airport is crowded and dangerous.
“We have so much helicopter traffic operating along the east side of the river that it makes approaching runway 33 from the south dangerous because now fixed wing aircraft are going to mix with helicopters within very close proximity,” Katz said. “And I think that makes this runway now no longer useful. It makes it obsolete. And I believe that given the magnitude of the tragedy here that eventually this runway will be decommissioned."
