FRG pilot calls air traffic controller error a possible cause of US plane crash
The collision of a military helicopter and a passenger airplane in Washington, D.C., may have occurred due to a dispatcher's error. This was stated by German pilot and aviation expert Peter Gatz in an interview with Welt TV channel on January 30.
"Honestly, I don't have an explanation. It must have been a mistake by the air traffic control, which gave both planes the appropriate permission to fly in that direction," Gatz said.
He noted that in a large air harbor like Ronald Reagan National Airport, there is a control zone where the control tower makes all decisions about flight times and directions.
The pilot pointed out that all airplanes and helicopters, military and passenger, are equipped with a collision warning system. It informs the crew of a threat and automatically recommends to the pilot what action to take to avoid a collision. This system helps in cases of air traffic control problems and should be operational at all times. Gatz expressed confusion as to why it did not work in this case.
The German pilot suggested that on board a military helicopter, the device could theoretically have been turned off or simply missing, but that would have been odd. There are times when military aircraft that are used to fly senators and high-ranking officials from the government, for example, are supposed to be hidden from radar by rule. However, a helicopter training flight is a different situation; all safety systems must be on.
On the night of January 30, an American Airlines passenger jet and a Blackhawk military helicopter collided near Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. After the crash, they fell into the Potomac River. A total of 60 passengers and four crew members were aboard the plane. There were three military personnel in the helicopter. NBC News reported that more than 30 fatalities were pulled from the water.
Later it was reported that on board the plane, tentatively, were eight skaters and four coaches. In particular, there was a bronze medalist of the USSR championship in pairs figure skating and former figure skater Inna Volyanskaya and world champions in figure skating Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that there were Russian citizens on the plane.
US President Donald Trump, in turn, called the airplane crash that occurred in Washington terrible. He said that the tragedy could have been avoided if the helicopter crew had changed course.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
