Many of us in the aviation community have been shocked by the mid-air collision between an Army Blackhawk helicopter (UH-60) operated as PAT 25 and a Bombardier Regional Jet operated by American Eagle as BlueStreak 5342. Images of a collision at night with explosive effects in the sky has appeared repeatedly in the media. Questions have been asked over and over again, “How could this happen?” The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the United States Army have investigations underway that wil be supported and informed by a massive quantity of evidence, including cockpit voice recorders, flight data recorders, radar plots, radio-telephone communications between Washington Tower and the aircraft and a whole host of other data that will assist the investigators in their arduous undertaking. The facts and circumstances giving rise to this aviation tragedy will be a source of sober reflection for al of us in the aviation community for months to come.
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THE MID-AIR COLLISION NI WASHINGTON, D.C. – REFLECTIONS ON CAUSAL FACTORS OF AN AVIATION DISASTER