Wednesday morning, Jan 29, at around 9 PM, an American Airlines passenger plane collided with an Army helicopter. This is now the deadliest passenger plane crash since 2001.
The American Airlines flight was headed to Reagan National Airport from Whitchita, Kansas, carrying 64 passengers. Multiple victims were figure skaters, who attended a developmental camp in Kansas and were returning home.
“I feel horrible, honestly. I just feel bad for everybody, because it was like a really bad crash” says sophomore, and avid aviation lover Danica Purtee.
The Black Hawk Army helicopter, hosting three crew members, was flying due to a required annual night evaluation. They were accompanied by only one air traffic controller. Normally there should be two, one focusing on planes and another on helicopters.
“I think it was the ATC’s fault for the most part, if the plane was sitting cross path, there wouldn’t have been an accident,” says junior Eli Harrimen, who’s father is a pilot.
Purtee also thinks the incident could have been prevented. “Possibly rerouting the American Eagle plane, or possibly giving the ATC a heads up of the Black Hawk helicopter,” she says.
While the Airline was preparing to land, the helicopter was near the airport and flying slightly higher than normal. As they slowly collided, a fireball formed which erupted and crashed both aircrafts into the Potomac River.
“The plane [and helicopter] shouldn’t cross paths when they’re in the air and when they’re in the tight aerospace,” says Harriman. “DC is just a massive no-fly zone except on the Potomac.”
Thursday, Jan 30, President Donald Trump said there were no survivors in the accident. He says in an announcement, “The work has now shifted to a recovery mission, sadly, there are no survivors.”
This crash has worried the aviation community, delaying flights. There were multiple flight delays to and from Reagan National Airport, showing how much this is impacting the United States. While this issue is resolving, it did impact some families.
Harriman hopes for change for the aviation community after the crash. “We saw this in the 80s and 70s and stuff with all those plane crashes,” he says. “Lots of litigation that happened, and obviously air traffic and flight nowadays are the safest form of transportation, so I would say hopefully this can bring reforms.”
In the aftermath, people pointed out that Trump had fired the head of TSA. While this was an important factor in airport security, it was unlikely to have had an immediate impact on the events, but that doesn’t stop others from feeling that way. “He is a reckless, lawless, dangerous man, and at a time of tragedy when he should be a salve and a balm, and a source of confidence for these grieving families and for the country, this is what he does,” says congresswoman Ayanna Pressley.
Purtee also hopes for a change. “A safety measure that could be learned is to reroute aircraft, and also probably have the pilots less distracted, and the ATC can warn them about fog.”
