The pilot of the Black Hawk that crashed into a passenger jet in January, killing all 67 people aboard both aircraft, failed to turn the military helicopter when advised to do so by her co-pilot, according to a new report.
On Sunday, The New York Times published new details on various “failures” underlying the mid-air collision, which happened over the Potomac River in the Washington, D.C., area.
In the final moments, Capt. Rebecca Lobach, who was piloting the Army Black Hawk Helicopter involved in the crash, was told by her co-pilot and instructor, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, that he believed air traffic control wanted them to turn left to avoid the American Airlines passenger jet as it was about to land at Reagan National Airport.
“Turning left would have opened up more space between the helicopter and Flight 5342, which was heading for Runway 33 at an altitude of roughly 300 feet,” the New York Times report said. “She did not turn left.”
Investigators “might never know why” Lobach continued flying the helicopter straight, the report asserted.
“There is no indication that she was suffering from health issues at the time or that a medical event affected her during those final moments aboard the Black Hawk, according to friends and people familiar with the crash investigation, which included autopsies and performance log reviews,” it said.
As noted in the report, there were other issues underlying the deadly incident, including those related to the helicopter’s altitude and radio communications.
The air traffic controller had contacted the Black Hawk, asking if its crew had seen the passenger jet, according to the report. Eaves said they saw “traffic” and requested permission for “visual separation” that would allow the helicopter to maneuver around it.
But cockpit voice recordings “indicate” the controller’s command for the Black Hawk to “pass behind” the passenger jet may not have been heard by the military helicopter crew because of a “bleep-out” when they activated their microphone.
Two seconds after the controller’s cut-out instruction, Eaves again communicated that the helicopter had the jet in its sights and sought the go-ahead for visual separation. In their last communication, the controller replied, “Vis sep approved.” That’s when, with 15 seconds to go, Eaves told Lobach that he believed air traffic control had given them the go-ahead to turn.
