Tonight in Washington a airliner and a military helicopter Black Hawk they crashed in the United States: both vehicles ended up in the river waters Potomac, in Virginia, and at the moment it seems that None of the 67 people involved has survived. But what are the causes? Although at the moment there is nothing certain, there are several considerations to be made, mainly linked to the air traffic procedures provided in the USA.
What do we know about the air inconvenience in Washington
The first thing to know is that the accident took place nearby national airport Of Washington-Ronald Reagan. It is one of the main Virginia airports and is located along the river Potomac, just 8 km from the capital Washington. Right here, at 20:48 roomsthat is, the 2:48 in Italy, the tragic accident took place.
The first vehicle involved is a Bombardier CRJ-701 (ER) from the Canadair. It is a means whose maximum capacity is of 70 seats. It is about 32 meters, has a wing opening just over 23 meters and has a cruise speed equal to 918 km/h. This scheduled flight, operated by the Psa airlinescame from Wichita, in Kansas, and were present 4 crew members And 60 passengers, including several athletes of the US Figure Skatingthe association of national figure skaters. At the time of the accident, the plane was at a height of about 91 meters and was being approached to the track 33 of the airport.

The second vehicle involved, on the other hand, is a Military helicopter H60 from the Sikrosky Aircraft Corporationalso known as Black Hawk. It is a high vehicle 5.13 meters For a length of just under more than 20 meters. According to some anonymous sources confirmed by Washington Postit seems that the vehicle was in flight in South direction for a session of training and that there were on board three soldiers in service.
For reasons still to be clarified, the two means are violently affected: The plane in fact traveled to 200 km/hwhile the helicopter at about 130 km/h. The two vehicles after this clash therefore fell into the cold waters of the Potomac river. The helicopter was found overturned, while the plane would break into two sections. According to the first statements of the authorities, None of the 67 people involved would be savedeven if the investigations are still in progress.
At the moment the airport was closed – as required by Federal Aviation Administration – and the flights have been diverted to theBaltimora-Washington International Airportabout 57 km away.
The possible causes of the airplaneing
First of all it must be said that at the moment We can’t know exactly what happened In the crucial minutes of the impact, the Official investigations of the authorities. But there are some fundamental considerations that we can do on the air traffic procedures, which is highly regulated, which can help us understand what has gone wrong and what the causes of the accident are.
First, it was not a problem related to weather conditions Adverse: as confirmed also from the airport itself, the bulletin provided for clear skies, a visibility of 16 km, weak winds and a temperature of 10 ° Celsius.
Having clarified this, in general we can say that the approaching phase – that is, landing or take -off – at Washington’s Ronald Reagan airport is particularly delicate For two reasons: the position and the structure of the airport, which is located close to the city for which to land it is necessary to follow a precise trajectory, but above all the slopes of this airport are very short, keep in mind that the one where the plane was landing in question 1.74 km, for comparison consider that a Milan Malpensa The slopes are about 4 km.

Apart from these general observations that make us understand the complexity of the maneuvers for those who approach this airport, it is important to consider that the impact between the two aircraft took place close to the landing track, at a height of 91 meters and 1 , 2 km away from the track. That is, it happened within an airport trafficking area, called Atz: It is a very delicate area, because they are highly busy: all the flights arriving or departing from the airport converge us. For this, every plane or helicopter that enters the area must be authorized and coordinated in its movements within the area.
Why was there a helicopter near the airport?
It must be said that in Italy, military aircraft traces themselves in precise areas, of training in fact, that when they are used by the military they come closed to civil air traffic. Military aircraft or helicopters in training can exit these areas, but must be coordinated by the air traffic control. And how does it work in the United States? To clarify we talked to Nicolò Fatai, a line pilot who lives and works in the United States. We keep in mind that in general the division of the airspace and the management of global air traffic follow precise and uniform rules dictated by theIcao, International Civil Aviation Organization. Then, compatibly with these directives, each state has its own internal organization.
In the United States, in fact, Nicolò explained us, non -scheduled flights – including military ones – have more freedom of flight Compared to Italy, so it is not strange to think that a military helicopter was within an Atz. However, it must be said that the collision took place in very little distance from the track And right on the route designated for landings, an area that should always be left free.
Another element to keep in mind is that the ATZ of the Washington Reagan airport is of class Bwhich means that anyone who passes within this area must be authorized from the air traffic control. But unlike the class A which is the most restrictive, both flights can be carried out in class B IFR, that is, in which the pilots operate through the technological instruments available, have a pre -established flight plan and constantly communicate with the control of traffic – and this is the case of the aircraft of the line involved in the accident – both the flights VFR, that is flying on sight therefore without the support of instrumentation. These are always small flights that clearly have precise traffic rules, they must keep a certain altitude and have some visibility and are still in contact with the control of air traffic, but do not have a predetermined flight plan.
What we don’t know at the moment, is if the Black Hawk helicopter Filed in IFR or VRF.
Audio recordings
We know that a audio that records was captured shortly before the impact The interaction of air traffic controllers with a nominated helicopter Pat25. About 20 seconds before the impact you hear the controller ask the Pat25 if you saw the plane and then give a command to the helicopter, that is, to pass behind the plane. We keep in mind that large planes have much more difficulty of maneuver, so the smaller aircraft is required to correct your trajectory.
In command of the control tower, however, you do not hear any response from the helicopter. And a few seconds after the two aircraft yes clash And in the control tower you can hear noises.
There is still no information, it is clear, but what we have just seen already gives us a first vision of what happened. There is no doubt that the helicopter found itself in a complex and delicate area, exactly on the landing route of a scheduled plane and that did not respond to the indications of the control tower. However, what we cannot know, and that the investigations will clarify, is because that helicopter was there – so if it was an oversight or there was a precise reason – and if the communication error was of the helicopter or there It was negligence by the airport control tower in giving indications.