The US authorities strive to seek survivors of the accident that occurred this morning between a commercial plane and a military helicopter on the cold waters of the Potomac River, in the immediate vicinity from Ronald Reagan Airport from Washington. Researchers analyze the incident to determine the causes of a collision full of questions.
How was the accident?
The accident occurred at 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday (3.00 h this Thursday in Spain) when a regional Bombardier CRJ700 aircraft from PSA Airlines, a subsidiary of American Airlines, hit the air with a Black Hawk military helicopter When I was about to land on track 33 of the Reagan National Airport of Washington. The commercial plane had left Wichita, in Kansas.
How many passengers were on board?
On board the plane, 60 passengers were, in addition to 4 crew, while three military from the American army went aboard the helicopter. In total, There are 67 potential victimsthat rescue teams are looking for in the waters of the Potomac River and surroundings. The authorities are pessimistic about the possibility of finding survivors.
Why did the helicopter fly near the airport?
The Black Hawk helicopter flew along a very busy route by military helicopters, which usually to fly near commercial airplanes They land or take off from Ronald Reagan airport.
“These helicopters fly on a established route to transit north and south along the side of Washington DC of the Potomac River. It is a corridor where it is allowed that helicopters fly at low height “explained the former investigator of accidents of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Jeff Guzzetti.
According to Associated Press, the Blackhawk helicopter, based on Fort Belvoir (Virginia), was making a training flight and emphasizes that military aircraft Training flights often do in congested and very restricted airspace that surrounds the capital of the country to become familiar with those situations.
Was there communication by radio?
An audio of the Ronald Reagan airport control tower reflects that the helicopter pilot informed the aerial drivers they had View contact with the CRJ700 plane in the moments prior to the accident. The conversation was as follows:
- Controller: Pat 2-5, do you have the CRJ in sight?
- Controller: Pat 2-5, passes behind the CRJ.
- Pilot: Pat 2-5 has the plane in sight, requests visual separation.
13 seconds after that conversation there was the fatal accident between both aircraft and The tension is heard in the control towerwhich quickly warns of what happened to another plane.
- Controller: “I don’t know if you got what happened before, but there was a collision at the approximation end of 3-3. We are going to close the operations indefinitely (…). I strongly recommend that you coordinate with the company. Avisen me what They want to do. “
What failed to produce the accident?
The president of the United States, Donald Trump, has pointed to the helicopter and the control tower as responsible for the accident: “The night was clear, the plane lights were lit, Why didn’t the helicopter go up, down or turn? Why didn’t the control tower tell him what to do instead of asking if he saw the plane? This is a bad situation that seems to have been avoided. It’s not right !!!, “he wrote on his social network, social truth.
However, despite the president’s message, researchers are still analyzing what happened to determine the causes and possible responsibilities.
The congestion in Washington’s airspace may have been one of the causes. Three airports serve the capital American: the Ronald Reagan (DCA), the Washington Dulles (IAD) and the Thurgood Marshall de Baltimore (BWI). In addition, there are several air bases of the nearby American army, so the airspace is always very busy.
How are rescue work?
More than 300 troops are working on rescue work on the Potomac River. The authorities in charge admitted that the deployment operates in complicated conditions for the cold and the necessary time will be extended. “It is a very complex operation. The conditions are extremely hard for lifeguards. It is cold and are dealing with relatively summary conditions. The wind is strong in the river,” John Donnelly, head of the emergency service of the emergency service of Washington.
“The challenges are access. The water in which we operate is about 2.5 meters deep, There are wind and pieces of iceso it is dangerous and difficult to work there. Water is dark, is cloudy and is a very difficult condition for them to dive. If you can imagine it, the river is a great black spot at night without lights, except some buoys lights, “he added.
At the moment, they have been rescued Dozens of lifeless bodies of the waters of the river and no survivor, but there are still many missing.
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