Saturday15 February 2025
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The plane crash in Washington may have resulted from gaps in flight safety protocols, according to the New York Times.

According to flight records and internal reports, the plane crash in Washington may have resulted from the failure of multiple layers of the United States aviation security apparatus.
По данным NYT, авиакатастрофа в Вашингтоне могла произойти из-за недостатков в системе безопасности воздушного движения.

According to flight records and internal reports, the aviation disaster in Washington may have been caused by the failure of multiple layers of the aviation safety apparatus in the United States (U.S.).

This was reported by RBK-Ukraine citing The New York Times (NYT).

The publication notes that before the aviation disaster, the passenger plane strayed from its approved flight path, and its pilots likely did not see the helicopter as they were turning towards the runway. Meanwhile, the air traffic controller had to "juggle two jobs at once," which prevented him from "separating" the plane and the helicopter.

Although the official cause of the aviation disaster has not yet been determined, there are already indications that both the pilots and air traffic controllers were not operating under optimal conditions.

According to a source from NYT, typically, one person handles the duties of both the helicopter and the airplane traffic controller after 9:30 PM local time, when traffic at Reagan begins to decrease. However, on the day of the aviation disaster, these responsibilities were assigned to one individual even before 9:30 PM. According to a preliminary report from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the staffing levels were "abnormal for that time of day and traffic intensity."

It is also noted that the controller on duty should have more actively directed the helicopter and the airplane to ensure they flew as far apart as possible, as darkness could hinder the pilots' ability to gauge the distance between them.

Other sources claim that the helicopter should have flown closer to the Potomac River shore and descended to the ground. Instead, it climbed higher and was half a mile off the approved route before colliding with the airplane.

"Gaps in aviation safety have been growing for years, leading to a troubling picture of near misses in the skies and at airports involving commercial airlines. This occurs amid increasing congestion at the country’s busiest airports, including Reagan National Airport, where the frequent presence of military flights further complicates air traffic management," adds NYT.

Aviation Disaster in Washington

On January 29, an aviation disaster occurred near Ronald Reagan Airport in Washington involving a passenger plane and a helicopter. It was later revealed that there were 64 people on the plane at the time, and three on the helicopter.

Commenting on the aviation disaster, White House Chief Donald Trump stated that the helicopter had been heading straight for the plane for an extended period, while the latter was on a perfect approach path for landing.