Two Lessons From The DCA Crash

[Pinecone]

May have been using the term Radio Altitude to separate the concept from the Radar (ADSB/Mode C) Altitude.

 

[GeeBee]

Maybe there are more problems in DCA Tower than we know.

https://www.foxnews.com/us/faa-employee-charged-assault-after-altercation-air-traffic-control-tower-reagan-national-airport

[Matthew P]

On 1/31/2025 at 8:10 AM, N201MKTurbo said:

I wonder why the helicopter was allowed to fly across the final approach path of an active runway? If you asked to do that at PHX they would tell you to get lost. 

Does the military get special exemption from normal rules?

I read that at that altitude the city lights wash out any aircraft lights, so visual separation is very difficult at best.

it was on an approved low level corridor, only problem is that the blackhawk pilots FAILED to maintain their required altitude on not higher than 200'. also, since the aircraft was on the circle to land visual approach, it was lower than it would be if it were on an instrument approach to that same runway (PERFECTLY ACCEPTABLE) but in this case the aircraft was lower than normal and the blackhawk was higher than it should have been resulting in the blackhawk flying into the side of the airplane...The Airplane was exactly where it was suppose to be...you should see the Low Level Helicopter Routes around DC..helicopters fly across the approach path all the time.. here's a link if you want to look https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3851p.ct004873/?r=0.786,0.27,0.099,0.063,0

[Matthew P]

On 1/31/2025 at 7:14 PM, redbaron1982 said:

Yep, this doesn't make sense to me either. The RNAV RWY 33 shows a 3 degree slope.

They made an approach to a different runway and then cleared to circle to RWY 33, it was a visual approach at that point, they were not shooting the RNAV RWY33.

 

[Pinecone]

Also helicopter was not at east bank of the river, more near the middle.