Of course, the title of this post refers to the air collision of American Airlines flight 5342 with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter. That as the AA flight was on approach to the runway at Ronald Reagan Airport in Washington, DC and the helicopter was on a training assignment. All of the people on both flights, numbering 67 in all, are presumed to have perished. Numerous bodies have been recovered since the crash last night. To say it was a terrible catastrophe may be an understatement.
According to reports on television, the local news radio and FoxNews.com: the helicopter was on a training assignment with three crew members aboard and as I said above the commercial jet was on approach to landing. Reportedly, the FAA had been i touch with the military pilot moments before the crash and asked him if he saw the plane to which he replied in the affirmative but one is left wondering was he looking at the right plane. Video, on Fox News.com showed the helicopter and plane collide and it looked to me as if the helicopter flew into the jet but that is just how I saw it when two very small specs on the screen hit one another and a fireball erupted.
I am not going to lay fault but a lot of folks already have done so. I think it best to wait for the results on the FAA investigation and any criminal investigation that could possibly also take place. I am not saying there as or is any evidence of criminal wrong doing but of course the possibility of a criminal act must be ruled out. There are going to be hundreds, if not thousands, of questions that need looking into and need answers based on facts and hard evidence. The cause of the collision (accidental or criminal) must be discovered, who or what was at fault, such as human error, mechanical failure, a combination of both and so on and on and on. One question that comes to mind is why was an Army helicopter crew performing a training assignment over a heavily used major U.S. airport in a metropolitan area. Meanwhile, the recovery efforts will remain ongoing until all of the bodies are found or until at least several days after today is my guess. In addition retrieval of as much evidence of the collision will take place. How much can be found in the Potomac river, into which the aircraft crashed after the collision, is a mystery that only time & effort will.solve. Of course, contacting and offering assistance to family members of the deceased will have to be handled. In addition any first responders or others involved with this tragedy (such as FAA Air Traffic Controllers) may wind up needing assistance after dealing with the event and or its aftermath.
Life is short enough without a horrendous event like this snuffing it out. My condolences to the families, loved ones, friends, coworkers and the like of the deceased. RIP.
All the best,
Glenn B
