American Eagle CRJ700 Struck Mid-Air By US Army Helicopter

A Bombardier CRJ700 , operating under American Airlines’ regional brand American Eagle, crashed into the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday, January 29th at around 9pm. The aircraft had collided with a US military helicopter while on approach to the airport.
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[@stevenmassaro5283]

Stop saying the aircraft collided with the helicopter. The helicopter ran into the side of the airplane. Look at your video.

[@nanzingdadi3205]

It’s propaganda not to make the military look inept . All the news outlet keep saying the airline hit the heli when in fact it’s the other way around . Infact the heli had the whole airspace to dodge that big bright light in front but instead went straight to hit it. Weird

[@annjamieson6544]

Exactly!

[@ravenzyblack]

The government is official stating that it was the airplane that collided with the helicopter. I guess they want to be able to blame the airline for the crash.

[@iampfaff]

I mean it wasn’t as if the jet was standing still

[@andyjax9215]

Jet was exactly where it was supposed to be, helicopter was cleared to fly behind jet, helicopter error

[@peterchristo196]

The Airplane was 60 seconds away from landing and had COMPLETE right of way. It was the military helicopter that was trespassing airspace of plane. Get this right. Memory Eternal to all involved.

[@حبيبيرسولالله-ب3خ]

This is an American play like September 11 to accuse Islam again and enter wars in Islamic countries and kill more Muslims, children and women and to distort Islam... This incident cannot be a coincidence, rather the military helicopter was involved.

[@paulburick1506]

Indeed memory Eternal. VICHNAYA PAMYAT. They eñtered eternity unawares.

[@User_92020]

Correction, the airplane was 63 seconds away from landing.

[@WendyWindows]

😢 Heart Breaking

[@B7R8]

*It was rigged...*

[@jasonberezny1710]

Helicopter hit plane. Get it right.

[@tylermiron6854]

💯

[@marylinthicum678]

The thumbnail says the helicopter UH-60 collides with CRJ700 which is the plane.

[@jasonberezny1710]

@ Yes but the announcer says the plane collided with helicopter as do many of the other reports from other channels and news outlets. Words.

[@LarsLarsen77]

@@jasonberezny1710 Planes go faster, so most of the impact was from the plane hitting it. It just flew in front of the plane.

[@difushi-m9d]

​@@LarsLarsen77not really faster for takeoff and landing. Since it's close to an airport, I'd say that's what the passenger jet was doing.

[@SaskiaEst]

A helicopter collided with a plane.

[@linanicolia1363]

A military helicopter slams into a passenger landing plane, ready for touch down. No mistake where the fault comes from.

[@B7R8]

*It was rigged...*

[@GreggWalken-xd3qv]

​@@B7R8I'm definitely skeptical after what happened to Ron Browns plane during the clint- on yrs

[@christopherrobinson7541]

@@linanicolia1363 _"A military helicopter slams into a passenger landing plane, ready for touchdown."_ The aircraft was 0.5nm away from the runway over the middle of the river. It would have touched down in around 30 seconds.

[@Daffodil956]

​@@christopherrobinson754130 seconds Oh God 😢

[@MacDouhui]

The helicopter flew into the plane.

[@Suspicious_Elmo]

100% intentional. A Blackhawk could EASILY avoid a passenger airplane with that large amount of time. Get ready for the BS cover story…

[@Perich29]

That pilot should be court martial if he survived.

[@Jotts]

​Heli didn't fly straight into the plane, they came at an intersection mid air. Airplane is coming towards the camera. Still should've seen the plane to the left of them, unless they were flying slightly lower and didn't see the airplane, also while it was descending to land. No radar? c'mon. It's a stupid and unfortunate incident nonetheless. EDIT: also a black hawk flies around 175mph. passenger planes are 500mph+

[@muncangel5993]

Don t think anybody has survived it.

[@djb5320]

@@Suspicious_Elmo Okay detective.

[@m.a.3322]

a training helicopter near an airport at nighttime not transmitting their data? this story doesn’t add up at all

[@marilyndavie8581]

Yup ....who was on that plane ?

[@dineshkumarsnair7964]

Yes.. correct.. something is wrong somewhere..

[@ChrisKay88]

apparently ATC asked helo pilot if he sees the commercial jet and helo pilot confirmed visual minutes before the crash. sketchy and sad

[@28ebdh3udnav]

​@@marilyndavie8581why does it matter who was on the plane? It's a civilian plane. It doesn't matter. Why are you and so many others assuming it's some assassination attempt?

[@linanicolia1363]

some crazy dude decided to go for a joy ride ?

[@nancyhilliard267]

No the helicopter crashed into the jet!

[@Rocketlux]

Still it's considering a mid air collision

[@GonProHunterVA]

it was intentional

[@TrainerAQ]

16 years of American Commercial Aviation Safety has come to an end today

[@renewilson2540]

I blame this chaos administration!

[@nidenordeste8879]

16 anos 😢😢😢😢misericórdia Brasil 🇧🇷

[@rnapol3266]

@@renewilson2540now now … you’re turning this into an anti-trump thing! Shame on you

[@pandibbarman]

So? ​@@rnapol3266

[@milarose5155]

@@renewilson2540absolutely agreed

[@chris_not_larson]

R.I.P to everyone who passed. Why on earth was that helicopter not broadcasting ADS-B data in DC airspace?

[@TheVermilliaFamily]

Because the government has been shady since the change of hands.

[@GL-ck7tb]

That is a great question.

[@haroldcruz8550]

That's very odd indeed unless they are after a target.

[@breechblock8292]

ADSB is not required. We have lots of aircraft without ADSB in the NAS. This was a systematic breakdown of pilot and controller situation awareness.

[@Dyson_Cyberdynesystems]

M I L I T A R Y

[@loumcast]

Why would a helicopter travel near the path of a landing aircraft. Let's hope this was an accident and not a deliberate crash against the airliner.

[@loveplayingames]

My thoughts exactly

[@pfp359]

I wonder who was on that plane?

[@BondJFK]

@@pfp359 tesla whistle blower

[@SomebodyPickaName]

Watching that helo fly straight towards that bright light in the sky in infuriating.

[@rustyshackleford2723]

Helo was on a approved course, but was supposed to cross behind the jet, messed up, hit the jet from behind. Training mission for the helo.

[@beckyd712]

*The HELICOPTER "collided" with the American Eagle flight, NOT the other way around!*

[@palitoe1237]

It’s exactly the same?? also, we cannot say it was the helicopters fault, it was most probably an atc error and we all know how hard it is to land at runway 33 in dca.

[@tylermiron6854]

@palitoe1237 it's the helicopter pilots fault they went above the 200 foot ceiling given to them just before impact

[@JohnGuidetti751]

@@palitoe1237It’s the helicopters fault everyone done their job but them.

[@Treeburnify]

Military helicopters are routinely permitted to cross the landing flight path at this airport. Airliner was doing everything right and was exactly where it should be. Helicopter is meant to confirm aircraft in sight before crossing; even at night. When you think about it, this was an accident waiting to happen. Relying on “aircraft in sight” for night-time operations is just madness.

[@buggerlugz6753]

Why???? Who honestly thought that was a good idea?

[@tripleseven8361]

Totally agree...See my above comments...

[@Kris_K98]

So the helicopter was supposed to be at 200ft but instead it was at 400 and they probably didn’t see the plane until they hit it

[@elizabethdouglas11]

My heart to all family members and friends of those involved ❤

[@josephmaina-vm1lc]

😢😢😢take heart 😢😢

[@traceyleejohnston3464]

The helicopter clearly hit the plane not the other way round!!!!!! Use your eyes !!!!!!

[@chrissmith7669]

@@traceyleejohnston3464 clearly? Looks like they were closing pretty much head on until both turned.

[@tylermiron6854]

@chrissmith7669 the helicopter went above the ceiling they were given before the moment of impact.

[@chrissmith7669]

@@tylermiron6854 I’m waiting on a readout of the CRJ FDR before assuming that’s correct. To me the radar track shows them both turning off an essentially head on course. Thinking like a helicopter driver being surprised by a plane closing fast I‘d expect the pilot to pull full pitch and roll off trying to avoid the plane he didn’t see. But we will know more when they start examining where the aircraft impacted each other along with the CRJ FDR.

[@tylermiron6854]

@chrissmith7669 it's obvious what happened and it's already come out that the helicopter deviated from their authorized path. They also flew above the directed ceiling of 200 feet

[@chrissmith7669]

@ they only deviated in the final seconds. Like someone taking evasive action. Less than thirty seconds before the collision they were cruising at 200ft if they deviated in the final seconds that’s a big hint something was wrong

[@michaelwhite3615]

The plane passengers families need to sue the military over this…total FUBAR situation.

[@renewilson2540]

🙄 It's called the government, not the military.

[@heyyall1912]

Agreed

[@jargraroch3000]

So you're basically suing yourself since you ARE the government.

[@danielbuckley3117]

Amazing that your first thought is that they should sue? How about sadness and condolences to the victims and their families first!

[@michaelwhite3615]

@ life is full of sadness. Nothing makes a sad person happy more than a pocket full of cash and the only way these families are going to recover. is to get some cash for their lost loved ones.

[@bluaurora8635]

What are they doing conducting training sessions in the black of night right next to an airport?

[@Xxxypher]

How else do you learn how to fly at night?

[@AlexM413]

@@Xxxypher not near another fucking plane, that's for sure. Like what the hell were those responsible inside the helicopter thinking, and having the helicopter be there in the first place??

[@bluaurora8635]

@@Xxxypher maybe in the middle of a country field, not super busy airport

[@renewilson2540]

It's an "approved " training mission.

[@Tribuneoftheplebs]

​@@renewilson2540 to simulate what? A blackhawk flying into a busy Chinese airport in a possible war? I dont understand what scenario this setting helps train for 🤔

[@MP-wj8mx]

I've flown CRJs into that airspace for years and the helicopter, which was on a training flight, probably identified the wrong aircraft. I never let the copilot land at night there. It's one of the busiest airspaces in the world. Probably not a good place for training flights!

[@wojomojo]

Yup, I prefer flying into IAD instead...

[@asmilefromellen]

Training at night?

[@shleyLX]

​​@@asmilefromellenwell they do missions at night so it makes sense to train at night. Just not there when they have plentiful restricted airspace without passenger flight paths intersecting them.

[@wojomojo]

@ As we all know, the military only fight during daytime.

[@001achie]

But would they not see that they are heading straight for an aeroplane? Even if they identified the wrong aircraft, the correct is right there in front of you. Don't crash into it.

[@heyyall1912]

Absolutely the pilot of the military helicopters fault. Why is the media continuing to say the commercial airliner collided with a military helicopter when it clearly was the military helicopter that collided with the commercial plane

[@saddist1Gtown]

Look up collision.. Jeez is English your first language?

[@dehavillandcanadatwinotter9621]

Pete Hegseth must be bribing the media

[@whitesquirrel4131]

ATC controls traffic within the terminal airspace, it is their responsibility to direct all aircraft there was plenty of traffic and the pilot may have identified the departing aircraft as the one they were meant to pass behind also we cannot see exactly the angles at which the two craft met each other except to put it roughly, the helicopter reportedly hit the jet on its rear right side, we cannot tell if the angles of approach prevented the helicopter pilots from seeing the approaching jet and vice versa how is it clearly the military's fault? the helicopter should never have been allowed to fly that course across an active flight lane in the first place, and thats on ATC

[@reubensandwich9249]

A sign a maturity is the understanding that all aircraft accidents have official investigations with official findings.

[@cathybrind2381]

@@reubensandwich9249 So?

[@DreamlinerFan2016]

Praying to those who are affected by this incident 🙏

[@user-po7jt8co7w]

will have no effect

[@justtubingby129]

Praying for those, not to those.

[@kevindusome]

@@user-po7jt8co7wthere is power in prayer “Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭29‬:‭12‬-‭13

[@djb5320]

@@justtubingby129 Has the same effect

[@joevarga5982]

Well, that won't do anything. God doesn't give a rat's ass.

[@NNotSwiss]

Rip to anyone who didn’t make it

[@muncangel5993]

Nobody can possibly have survived this🥺

[@batmanwins5701]

Rest in pieces?

[@batmanwins5701]

​@@muncangel5993 it was a low altitude crash into water, I'm sure there will be survivors.

[@KOPPEN-mx8xq]

Soulless​@@batmanwins5701

[@NNotSwiss]

@@muncangel5993 idk but i heard from some where 4 people survived, but its unlikey

[@Idk-iu9vn]

Helicopter what the hell man

[@AlienGamer38]

That Airspace is crazy it was going to happen sooner or later just a matter of time over the year's had so many close calls

[@dawhike]

Exactly!

[@growtocycle6992]

​@@AlienGamer38the airspace controller contacted the helicopter.... They ignored the call, why??

[@SOffenbach]

The plane hit the helicopter. Military aircraft always fly into airports.

[@EDF2457]

@@growtocycle6992Yes, I heard that the air traffic controller asked the helicopter if they see the plane…I didn’t hear of an answer from the broadcaster. So sad for all involved 😢

[@NoteRedOSC]

RIP to all 67 victims of the collision =(

[@brettbono9550]

stop trying to get likes on your comments. how about not being a generic NPC??? can you do that???

[@JXPplayzYT]

@@brettbono9550bro what else would he do in this situation

[@jaestreets751]

Damn. Brett went off. 😮😅😂 Rest in peace 🪦 to all 67 who lost their lives. Supposedly the Blackhawk was doing training.

[@tyv7364]

@@brettbono9550 Are you going through a divorce? Why are you so heated up over this comment?

[@sharonfarrar5316]

​@@brettbono9550 Whoa .You need to smoke a joint and chill.

[@peterengland6153]

There is pdf on the FAA web site showing regulated helicopter air routes around Washington DC together with MAX flight heights. The Black Hawk Call sign PAT25 was flying south on route 4 pass Regan Airport with MAX height marked as 200 feet. The collision according to data was 350 feet. Why was PAT25 at 350 feet and not 200 feet?

[@kenito7257]

.. I'm going to go on a limb and say the helicopter probably saw the plane at the last second. Realized it was landing on runway 33, and tried to pull up to go over it realizing the plane was descending. It would have been the best maneuver to see and avoid, but obviously too late or not enough inertia to get over the plane.

[@kellysander529]

Why was he crossing the approach path of an active runway at all.

[@kenito7257]

@@kellysander529.. like the other commenter stated, it appears there are helicopter routes that are normally flown through that area and maybe that helicopter was on one. Still have to see and avoid other aircraft. And also since it's a controlled airspace, ATC has the authority and requirement to instruct aircraft to avoid any accidents. That appears to be the problem here. They should have stopped asking the helicopter if they had the Airliner in sight and just given them a heading to avoid it.

[@istudios225]

​@@kenito7257 Maybe the helo did try that manouvre earlier and didn't succeed. Then ATC noticed their close proximity and altitude and told the helo to pass behind the CRJ. Flightpaths show the helo turned RIGHT, the wrong direction, at 15 seconds before collision, sending it headlong into the CRJ, instead of turning LEFT in order to pass behind the CRJ, as instructed by ATC. Helo pilot executed a wrong turn.

[@buggerlugz6753]

Because he wanted to take down the plane?

[@idakate7]

How can you miss seeing a passenger airplane?

[@djb5320]

same way that a car can miss seeing a building. There are thousands of cases of that happening. How could it be? lol

[@gordonduke7174]

Something very fishy about this so called "Accident " !

[@mikepxg6406]

Pilot wearing Sunglasses smoking big fat cigar listening to loud rock music and all high fiveing each other. Typical USA incompetent military I'm afraid.

[@thetruthbehindplanes]

@@mikepxg6406 By the way, you are aware the U.S military defends the U.S as well as making incompetent mistakes?

[@normie2716]

@@mikepxg6406 Quite the story you're conjuring up there. Having fun?

[@emmanuelvillacrusis511]

Rest in Peace to All of the Casualties of this unfortunate accident,My God Bless Their Souls

[@djb5320]

Didn't God do this?

[@maitaioe9455]

Not an accident, chopper flew into the approach path of the runway. It’s a midair collision.

[@jeffjohnson7053]

I was reffing a soccer game in South Houston Tuesday night, and it was dark out. A helicopter was flying overhead twice near us and had no lights showing (it was blacked out). The shape and size of it made me assume it was military practicing stealth training or night vision, etc. But then I thought that's pretty dangerous considering no one can see you

[@kingdomgateway7677]

Flying without transponders on is making yourself invisible and flying without transponders on near an airport is criminal.

[@jasonlives6923]

It's almost as if it was done deliberately 🤔

[@terryvlunsford1610]

Wasn’t aware transponders were turned off

[@billerbe8022]

DCA is in Class B airspace which requires a transponder with a code assigned by ATC. Are military aircraft exempt?

[@AFCompany]

This isn’t adding up. Why on earth would the helicopter be flying in restricted airport space and right in the path of landing air planes. It almost looks like it flies into the plane intentionally. Who was on these air crafts?

[@hilarysimpson3725]

Russian children world champion skaters. And American child skaters

[@cloroxflavoredbleach9362]

They wouldn't crash on purpose the helicopter was likely flying during the training with whatever on-board signaling equipment off or malfunctioning causing the helicopter to go un-noticed with crew or directional error.

[@punknhead23]

It is a very common flight path for Army PATs flying from Davison Army Airfield to Washington DC. Happening for decades, nothing unusual or nefarious. Don't make it up just because you're not knowledgeable.

[@Viktor-x1w7w]

​@@punknhead23but why do they fly with their ADSB off? Is it an active war zone?

[@Lurch-Bot]

Idiots. Those are the only people dumb enough to give up their rights and effectively become a slave to the US government by joining an absolute clown car of a military.

[@magadaleneiris1928]

Could this be an attack disguised as an accident??

[@mspicer3262]

Hm, so a US military aircraft wasn't using a transponder, while operating in the airspace of a civilian airport, and collided with a civilian airliner. I wonder how the US government, as a whole, is going to try to blame somebody other than themselves for this...

[@steffanjansenvanvuuren3257]

See? You can clearly see that it is the Helicopter that crashed d into the CRJ700. And see how clearly visible the CRJ was.

[@luckycharm8888]

Who is the sensitive passenger on the passenger plane? That aint accident...

[@robynm7221]

👍 AI op helo 🧑‍💻 - ✈👨‍💼👨‍💼🎯🛬 ⚰

[@marilyndavie8581]

Exactly ....who was on that plane ? We may never know.

[@pandibbarman]

And the earth is flat 😂

[@djb5320]

@@pandibbarman maybe this was a cover up for some kind of chem trail operation lol

[@inuliger]

You conspiracy theorists are really some of the most pathetic people on this planet.

[@idiotwind-56]

thank you for not lying - all other channels claiming plane collided into helicopter

[@aabbcc5154]

THAT IS WHAT THIS CHANNEL IS SAYING. JESUS CHRIST WHERE ARE YOUR EARS? WHERE IS YOUR EARS?

[@nadogrl]

@@aabbcc5154- Calm down…and please stop blaspheming.

[@crowznest438]

@@aabbcc5154 Possibly a bit of sarcasm was intended in that comment.

[@nickmarkezich3638]

And people want flying cars LOL What a F-ing joke Was No accident clearly flew right to the jet

[@jargraroch3000]

Right - it will never happen. Imagine all the FUI's - flying under the influence...yikes. However, AI may be able to help here.

[@GonProHunterVA]

are we certain that was a black hawk and not something else?

[@strawberrymilk9767]

@@GonProHunterVA yeah

[@stevenszikora2375]

You do not train your pilots over a commercial airport

[@linanicolia1363]

The military feels they own everything.

[@billerbe8022]

Yes that would seem link training a new driver in midtown Manhattan during rush hour!

[@TheShowblox]

This is the first multiple-fatality crash in my home country, the USA, that I’ve been alive to see, and I am still in shock

[@janedoe5229]

How could the helicopter not see the plane? I would not be surprised if they conclude that this was done on purpose.

[@jsmith123]

Helmets, night vision googles. should not be "training" anywhere near civilians

[@tdn4773]

@@jsmith123 Typical military disregard for civilians.

[@alishialedger2322]

Really got that much faith in them being HONEST? Even with the video & control recordings already being aired. Their still the jet collided with the helicopter.

[@renewilson2540]

It's an approved mission, unfortunately, and your correct individuals are reporting this incorrectly already. The helicopter runned into the jet!

[@catsncrows]

I always wonder if people who immediately run to conspiracy are typing from a basement they never leave out of anxiety. It was a training mission which means inexperience or air traffic bungled something

[@aliancemd]

2:00 “Training flight” through the final approach path of civilian airplanes

[@strawberrymilk9767]

without a transponder on either

[@ChrisLessard-q4r]

Transponder turned off flying through a busy airport. So many layers of stupid it's suffocating.

[@John-js9je]

The landing lights from that aircraft would have been extremely bright and noticeable to the military helicopter at that range prior to collision. Unreal.

[@dahalofreeek]

Are they really flying helicopters through the flight path with

[@ladybug2x2y22z]

This!

[@mikepxg6406]

yes its for your "safety"

[@crispy-qx5oi]

Does it really matter who hit who. It’s equally tragic on both ends and just plain semantics at this point

[@OofyMan96]

Ok the fact that there’s more comments of fighting over how it actually happened than there are comments of praying for the victims and their families and friends is insane. R.I.P to the 67 people who died from this horrible incident.

[@well-blazeredman6187]

Well said. I had filed three 'misinformation' reports before I got to here, in the comments thread.

[@paularaegram9965]

Actually, the helo crashed into the plane. sorry, wrong info stated in your video and your blurb above.

[@MP-wj8mx]

If you are operating in the worlds busiest airspace why is your transponder turned off? I hope that turns out not to be the case. If so, not safe at al!!

[@cloroxflavoredbleach9362]

During training transponders and other signal equipment may be turned off to simulate what flying in a warzone may be like idk if that would be done in civilian areas though

[@MP-wj8mx]

@@cloroxflavoredbleach9362 Having flown CRJs, I can tell you this would not have happened if he had it on. Maybe you should practice that in a warzone, not the busiest airspace in the USA for civilians.

[@kenito7257]

.. I highly doubt anyone had their transponder off. What does happen is that at low altitudes, Sorry I can't remember if it's 1000 feet or 500 feet, all TCAS alerts to pilots are muted so as not to distract pilots taking off or landing in critical phase of flight. What should have taken place is ATC, the boss in this situation, should have stopped asking the helicopter if they had the Airliner in sight and given a command to make an IMMEDIATE left turn of 90 degrees or to a heading of 90 degrees to avoid the Airliner.

[@MP-wj8mx]

@ Thats mostly true. The command to climb or descend is disabled below 1000" but the target will still be there on the monitor. ATC is so busy there they mostly just issue instructions and move on without waiting for a response from the pilots which is expected in just about anywhere else that is not that congested. It makes things more dangerous in that airspace, hardly the place for flight training. You should wait until you get your big boy pants on before flying across the flight paths of a class B airspace with your transponder turned off. FAFO!

[@Rofl-Knife]

Looks like the heli hit the plane from that opening footage ?

[@tylermiron6854]

Correct

[@Rofl-Knife]

@ can’t report the American military screwed up now can we 🙄

[@YungXiety]

I believe the military is preventing some highly influential individuals from whistleblowing on critical matters.

[@GonProHunterVA]

are we certain that was a black hawk and not something else?

[@christopherrobinson7541]

@@GonProHunterVA The US army have confirmed that it was a UH-60 blackhawk.

[@brockcaldwell3646]

Who was on that plane is my question?

[@nanzingdadi3205]

How did that heli not see all those bright lights ?.. looks like a kamikaze trajectory

[@haroldcruz8550]

That's the thing, it might just be a case of kamikaze.

[@renewilson2540]

It was approaching at the side, not the first, but still can't understand how they hit that plane.

[@Crosbhealach]

So...I guess I'm going to be the one to ask this. Who was on that plane(if it turns out to be deliberate)?

[@heyyall1912]

Totally. weird

[@breechblock8292]

depth perspective at night is difficult, also. maybe the pilot was mistaken on which aircraft traffic was being called. in the video, there was another aircraft easier to see.

[@grahambrake5495]

I wonder who was on the plane that knew too much about

[@timeforchange3786]

Maybe dc to Kansas but Kansas to DC? Maybe

[@ospectrum]

There were figure skaters there :(

[@ladybug2x2y22z]

​@@ospectrumAnd 3 military persons

[@istudios225]

VERY good question.

[@tonyawerner3812]

2 Russian figure skaters were on that plane! That’s not just coincidence. Sorry but the Blackhawk was supposed to be at 200 ft and the crash happened at 350 ft??? And they weren’t transmitting data over restricted airspace? And Blackhawks are more sophisticated than just an average helicopter they have many warning systems that had to have been ignored! ATC even asked them if they saw the plane? Not adding up!

[@tripleseven8361]

As an airline pilot, who used to fly in and out of DCA on a regular basis, I believe that in an effort to move more traffic, and more efficiently, there is far to high of a reliance on VFR operations. That can be said for most, if not all of the large American Aerodromes, (i.e., clearing aircraft for visual approaches, and then putting the onus on those aircraft, to "see and be seen" and to visually avoid other aircraft)...Inter alia, this practice serves to take the onus off of the controllers, and puts that responsibility into the hands of the respective pilots, who may or may not be aware of conflicting traffic. In addition, the DCA (Washington Reagan) airport is fraught with regulatory hazards, (especially when approaching from the North), 'no-go' zones and warnings about low flying helicopter traffic. An additional risk to civilian airlines, is the fact that the military traffic are communicating with the tower on a separate, 'discrete' frequency, with the tower hearing both aircraft, but the civilian airline only hearing the tower controller, and other civilian aircraft! One additional point...When the Tower controller asked the Helicopter pilots, whether they had the approaching aircraft in sight, they either "thought" that they did, and were in fact looking at a different aircraft, or they got distracted...At low altitude, the city's lights blend in with low flying aircraft lights and beacons, and can easily be lost...It would then be on the onus of the Helicopter to declare that he had "lost" the other aircraft, which would then require a tower intervention...Not likely to happen when egos are involved.

[@swavekbu4959]

My first take is that the plane is innocent. Either the chopper or air traffic is to blame.

[@renewilson2540]

Air Traffic Controller was NOT to blame. Helicopter was warned of plane.

[@kelilahqetsiyah6925]

​@@renewilson2540 Interesting!

[@cameron.t]

@@renewilson2540 Helicopter was not responding

[@ChrisKay88]

@@cameron.t how? ATC asked and got confirmation from helo pilot that he sees the commercial jet, ATC then told helo pilot flying a 22million $ helicopter with multiple sensors that are supposed to prevent things like this (even though pilot had visual) to go behind the commercial jet. Im getting this from news sources so if you know/saw something else please share.

[@kenito7257]

​​@@renewilson2540.. Air Traffic Control is significantly to blame. It's their airspace. They're suppose to control all aircraft flying through their zones. ATC should not have kept asking if they have the plane in sight. ATC should have commanded the helicopter to do an IMMEDIATE LEFT TURN to a heading of 90 degrees away from the plane. The word immediate would indicate NOW, not 10 minutes or 10 seconds from now, but NOW. If that instruction would have been given, this wouldn't have occurred. ATC also appears to not have given the helicopter what the American Airliner jet was doing. I didnt hear ATC say to the helicopter, "Do you have the American Eagle jet landing on runway 33 in sight?" That would have given the helicopter a more precise picture of what was going on. In aviation, we call that situational awareness. It's nice when everyone knows what everyone else is doing. I've flown out of DCA for many years, and lately the controllers are not what they used to be. It really hasn't gotten busier. We can only land so many planes an hour.

[@rustyshackleford2723]

Helo hit the jet, jet was where it was supposed to be. Helo messed up. They were told to fly behind jet, messed up, hit jet from behind.😮

[@PapaBearNC]

You need to make a public correction. The US Army helicopter did not obey ATC and flew directly into the CRJ 700 aircraft.

[@Stephen0988]

Black Hawk with Gold Top collides with Airliner. I really can't watch videos stating that the airliner collides with helicopter, it just isn't true.

[@mikepxg6406]

Like most things in USA

[@NinkenmouséOfficial]

This probably wouldn't have happened if the helicopter had used ADS-B

[@NellyLanga-p3l]

I wouldn't be surprised if its deliberate since the helicopter collided with the plane not the other way around.

[@theendofmyropemydude]

If I'm ATC I'm shitting myself tonight

[@kenito7257]

Absolutely !!!! At least 90% to blame. Maybe a small portion, 10%, on the helicopter. But ATC, who's the boss, should have stopped asking if the helicopter had the plane in sight and given the instruction to make an IMMEDIATE left turn to 90 degrees or to a heading of 90 degrees. If that happened, no accident would have occurred. ATC has been getting pretty lackadaisical lately in not doing their job. They need to be more aggressive when the need arises. Come up to NY and you'll see what I mean. They're on you like flies on you know what...

[@arandonmusicvenue9431]

​@@kenito7257The facts have not been released and what is out there suggest that the helicopter was at fault. You have just jumped to a conclusion, picked a number out of air and assigned blame based no zero information. You might end up being right but I doubt it. Best to wait for a proper investigation and the data is released

[@mikepxg6406]

Not if you work at another airport.......

[@strawberrymilk9767]

@@kenito7257 the ATC had no control over the helicopter. The Military runs on a seperate radio channel from Civilian radio, so neither ATC and the Helicopter could communicate. Plus the Helicopter didn't have any ADS-B data

[@kenito7257]

@@arandonmusicvenue9431 .. dear doubting commenter. My 30 years flying for the airlines, has given the best scenario of what took place the other evening and what shouldn't have happened. Air Traffic Control is fully responsible for the aircraft flying in their ATA (Air Traffic Area). This area starts at the surface and goes up to and including 3000feet. It start at the middle of the airport and reaches out 5 miles. Any aircraft in that area, must have communication with the tower and follow their instruction. From what I see, both aircraft did follow the tower instructions. The problem with that instruction was that both aircraft ended up on a head on collision with each other. The tower knows it is easier to instruct the helicopter to "get out of the way" of the Airliner landing. They kept asking if the helicopter had the plane in sight. Why they didn't give an instruction to turn away from the Airliner is anyone's guess. Experience? Intimidation cause it's a military aircraft? That I can't answer. But we all know sadly know the result.

[@wiggles2137]

What i really want to know is what was the helicopter doing, and why was it infrount of runway 33? R.I.P 🕊️

[@renewilson2540]

It's a regular training procedure that is approved. And we know this administration let KEY top leadership go on Monday!

[@nadogrl]

@@renewilson2540- Just STOP with your stupid TDS. “Key top leadership” had nothing to do with this.🤯

[@craignazia]

I'd like to know why the helo's transponder was not on to allow ATC personnel to identify its location so close to a busy airport.

[@GonProHunterVA]

are we certain that was a black hawk and not something else?

[@thetruthbehindplanes]

@@GonProHunterVA yes

[@chrisczarnik3439]

Why was the helicopter training in this air space?

[@hirasingrana5620]

Army pilot train for missile but can not detect big plane?

[@Andulvar]

Training helicopter, and it's night.

[@nanzingdadi3205]

@@Andulvarbut thr plane had its lights on . Except ur blind , no chance you would miss all those lights on the wings n windows

[@Dyson_Cyberdynesystems]

​@@nanzingdadi3205 easy. 1. Landing lights have a fairly narrow beam. So at the approaching angle all they would have seen is Nav and Beacon lights. 2. There's so much light clutter from the ground in the capital, those remaining lights wash out. The issue is you have Ronald Reagan sandwiches in between numerous military installations in a very tight corridor of Airspace. Given all of the ATC, equipment and training problems since 2020 this was a matter of time.

[@istudios225]

@@Dyson_Cyberdynesystems The CRJ, with all its lights blazing and lit up like a Christmas tree, was IN FRONT of the helo, at its 12 o'clock position, about 1km/3300ft/0.6ml away and closing in fast. So the CRJ was in the helo's face, really up close and personal. No way the helo didn't see the CRJ, despite all the light clutter from the ground. When ATC told the helo to pass behind the CRJ, the helo immediately turned, at 15 seconds before collision. BUT it turned RIGHT, the wrong direction, instead of turning LEFT in order to pass behind the CRJ. That was a fatal mistake.

[@Dyson_Cyberdynesystems]

@@istudios225 I just said light clutter is an issue. And if the help crew was fixated on an aircraft on their 3' clock that they mistakenly thought was the aircraft tower was referring to them yeah. It is a deadly mistake. And yes the helo pilots are the primary at fault people here under VFR. But there is going to be a component of the tower giving the turn clearance without ensuring that the helo had the correct traffic in sight. This tower has had numerous issues recently and this accident was a matter of time.

[@CLVWX3R]

Reminds me of the 2020 Dallas air show collision

[@andyjax9215]

Helicopter collided with jet which was exactly where it was supposed to be, why is the media switching it around?

[@蔡徐坤-x2u]

恐怖袭击还是自导自演还是愚蠢的人为失误，真是悲剧。一定要彻查和追究责任。😢😢😢

[@snaggs107]

Im sry but that it looked sus..heli pilot had all kinds of time. Idc how dark it was. Wasn't that dark that he couldn't see anything.

[@lionsdejudah]

Was it a Helicopter? Or a drone? Hit job? Who was on that plane?

[@brockcaldwell3646]

I'm asking the same question.🤔

[@atiku_2]

Aviation accidents have being really occuring these days😢

[@ReikiActivate]

Sending prayers, love and light!!!🤍🤍🤍

[@dawhike]

I remember the Air Florida plane hitting the Memorial Bridge and the frozen river rescues. This one looks like helicopter error to me.

[@KealeyMissMultiFairy]

And there was one years ago in which Howard Stern, then at WWDC, pretended to call the airline on the air and asked "What's the price of a one way ticket from National to the 14th Street Bridge? Is that going to be a regular stop?"

[@wojomojo]

Me too. That was southbound I believe, this looks to be northbound, so collision is further south on the Potomac.

[@carrotspaghetti236]

@@KealeyMissMultiFairy I thankfully forgot.

[@whitesquirrel4131]

the third party you dont see is AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL think about those words now, what do you suppose their job is?

[@wisdompr12033]

Looks purposeful !! Who was flying the helicopter ? 🚁

[@Neti.j]

Why would they train at night at an airport?? Something is seriously wrong here!!

[@lajollasdca]

그당시 주변에는 2대의 여객기가 있었다. 한대는 이륙을하고 다른 비행기는 착륙을 하고 있었다. 그 착륙하는 비행기가 사고 여객기다 관제사는 여객기를 조심하라고 했는데 헬리콥터는 이륙하는 비행기로 생각했고 헬리콥터는 옆에서 착륙하는 여객기는 생각하지 못한것이다. 관제사의 세심한 지시가 있었다면 막을수 있었던 비극적인 사고다.

[@p165711]

Was the Blackhawk being flown autonomously?

[@renewilson2540]

No way in that area!

[@linanicolia1363]

Well, if so, the collision was really a target.

[@mohammadsareh4732]

Commercial airport is not for militery training.

[@nigelscott1922]

Looks like the helicopter collided with the jet not the other way around.

[@kirstinmorrell]

Do you recognize the the relative speeds are much different?

[@iampfaff]

Lmfao no concept of depth perception or speed difference from the video, everyone assuming this has peanuts for brains

[@janeydoughy8878]

Caution student driver! What in the heck is that chopper doing there in the first place, they should be training out in the middle of the desert. If military can waste $100k each on toilet seats designs, they should compensate injured and dead families in that plane 100 million each,

[@acgillespie]

How could this possibly happen? I mean, it was heading for Runway # 33. We seem to hear that #33 quite often Yes?

[@americandream978]

Looks intentional, Damn may those who lost their lives rest easy. Tragic

[@PhyllisWurm]

The video shows the Helicopter flying into the side of the plane. Like a car gets T boned side hit by another.

[@gojo197zero]

Bless all involved and responding.

[@kikiryki]

So it looks like the helicopter coming from the right hit the plane.. It's not fair to say that a commercial plane hit a helicopter when, in fact, it was the other way around.

[@crystalwilliams6134]

That helicopter flew straight into that plane that’s insane make that makes sense😢

[@teresa_davis]

Guys..the helicopter hit the plane..you’ve got it backwards..

[@SimpleFlyingNews]

We have ammended the title of the video.

[@annawhyte5890]

​@@SimpleFlyingNewsthank you

[@gaae2000]

So much technology and aircrafts still cannot detect and avoid a collision approaching.

[@MrJuvefrank]

People who make aircraft are extremely cheap. In the old days, so many aircraft had no radar, and passenger jets had emergency oxygen that would allow passengers to breath for only a few minutes, but the pilots had more emergency oxygen.

[@MacDouhui]

No active transponder? Hard to believe that the much smaller light in the CCTV feed is the airliner and the super bright light is the helicopter with that just may be the angles.

[@dennyc88]

Something odd about this situation

[@rickyterk1419]

Was this Sikorsky Blackhawk equipped with the Matrix system ??? Why no one is mentioning this

[@DonybrookandBray]

Looking at the video, the helicopter tracks directly at the airline jet. Given the level of ATC, a clear night, and both aircraft clearly illuminated, One at least has to ask, was this an attack?

[@knightflightvideo]

What a horrible crash. R.I.P. to all passengers and helicopter crews who lost their lives. 😢🙏

[@jasonberezny1710]

Wording is powerful. Every report keeps saying that the plane collided with the helicopter. The helicopter was on a beeline towards the plane not even trying to avoid the plane. The military helicopter or drone, which i think is what hit the plane on purpose had a mission. A helicopter can stop and hover. This is very Sus.

[@iampfaff]

Lmfao no concept of depth perception or speed difference from the video, everyone assuming this has peanuts for brains

[@KealeyMissMultiFairy]

@@iampfaff True, The video is meaningless because of the distance and angle. He is also incorrect that a helicopter can just stop mid air. They can not, the pilot must maneuver around the obstacle or problem. Which means human reaction times which can be extremely problematic in true emergenices.

[@jasonberezny1710]

@@KealeyMissMultiFairy ok but it had quite a bit of time to correct its direction before the collision. Jersey drone. Lol

[@KealeyMissMultiFairy]

@@jasonberezny1710 Nope. At the very most, five seconds. And that's assuming that any directions from ATC and/or visual contact were not confusing. The last two seconds would have been irreversible if no action had been taken in the previous three seconds.

[@jasonberezny1710]

@ So we will just chalk it up to an oopsy daisy by the military i guess. You’re correct.

[@richert8]

This is the responsiblity of the controller tower - they screwed up-

[@Dasboot1992]

Hey man the chopper hit the aircraft if you have seen the video already. Unfathomable how they didn't see the aircraft. Something doesn't quite stack up.

[@qc_uploads748]

Nothing that happens in America involing the military, happens out of accident.

[@Chika_Champon]

Said by someone who clearly has no exposure to how inept the military can be.

[@thokling361]

Conspiracy time: Who was on the plane that warranted an assassination by a stray attack helicopter? One could attribute it to human idiocy as it was a training exercise, but...

[@Hopeless-Worth]

who was the hit on?

[@petersvensson7633]

Will be interesting to see the passenger list released

[@davidhaynes3126]

My immediate impression is the helicopter caused this crash. Mainly because the CRJ700 was on final approach. The BlackHawk went through an approach and the caution would have to be on them. They would have to be cleared for that.

[@lisathomas6960]

The helicopter clearly hit the plain on the side. They mention it being split in two. Now that plains headlights are that bloody bright.... THERE'S MORE TO THE STORY HERE AMERICA..

[@desireegw7]

My heartfelt prayers to God for every family who lost someone because of this. May every life lost RIP. 💔

[@dexterwilson7591]

Is this really an accident?

[@claudetteplante9381]

So very heartbreaking,our condolences to the families,RIP😢

[@zoolity]

The helicopter flew into the plane. 100% intentional. It was a straight flight. There is no way he didnt see it

[@linanicolia1363]

Pilot could have had a heart attack or stroke ? or just a crazy dude who wants to die and take other people with him ?

[@zoolity]

@@linanicolia1363 Well possibly but very strange. There is always a copilot the reaction would have been visible at maybe an evasive attempt. Here the heli just flew straight in

[@thetruthbehindplanes]

@@zoolity what happens if the copilot knows nothing like TAROM crash

[@redpower690]

The helicopter was flying dark. All collision avoidance systems were turned off. I can't believe this was even allowed to happen anywhere near an airport. Let alone a very congested metropolitan area. There's two collision avoidance systems that are used on that helicopter. One is a locator that lets air traffic control know there in the area and their location. The other is called TCAS it would've alerted the jet directly to maneuver away from the helicopter and the helicopter to maneuver away from the jet. This was a major screwup, and the army is totally at fault!