25 Replies to “When Planes Fall Out of The Sky”

  2. 100% correct: “twenty-seven FAA diversity-outreach officers but one air-traffic guy”

    BTW the worms at CTV News last night said twice “unfounded” / “false” about Trump’s remarks that DEI might be the reason. I was yelling at TV: How do you know it’s unfounded/false?!? And what is your beef as Canadian presstitutes with US issues?

    1. Unfortunately, the majority of Kanadians don’t like Orange Man Bad. Crap TV is just playing to the brain-dead sheeple.

  3. “The inability to distinguish between “Allahu Akbar” and a butt plug explains a lot about where we are.”

    GOLD!

  4. I think of myself as a reasonably competent woman, but there are some occupations which men do better. You need physical strength to be a fireman, to be a roughneck on an oil rig, to be a cowboy, a farmer. But most important of all is that you need testosterone. That hormone which makes a person a man, also makes them very competitive and want to be the best. It also makes you able to handle multiple difficult tasks, such as air traffic control. Just my own personal opinion,

  5. I believe someone remotely took control of the Black Hawk chopper and directed it into the plane.

  6. When the nihilists and neo-Marxist types regain power, the end will come soon thereafter.
    Unless there’s a cull.

  7. Read a couple of comments on this by ex forces guys who were experienced Blackhawk crewman. This was on a YT video with the actual radar footage and radio exchanges being played. One big thing is of course the understaffing of this airport at the time of the accident. Another ,directly related is that it’s a hugely busy airport. But these guys were also saying the Blackhawk,being a war machine , is really, really hard to see especially at the light conditions as were present. Also the crew chief also has to help the pilots constantly by looking outside and checking for other traffic and clearances especially when flying with other helis. And there are times between monitoring several radios and frequencies, checking fuel levels and general machine running conditions and navigation stuff that NOBODY is actually looking outside the aircraft. Not for extended periods mind you but it doesn’t take long for a mistake to take a fatal turn. Another factor is that the clearance lights on top of the bird are called “slime lights” or something because they’re green and very faint being sort of stealthy y’know. The general consensus by several experienced crewman was that this was a human error by the heli crew who all VERY experienced and maybe on any other day or even just a few minutes difference the ending of this wouldn’t have turned out to be the tragedy that did play out……also forgot to add that there are a lot of training flights for military helis in this area also which may or may not be a factor. 🙁

    1. I am going to call bull$hit on your buddies. It’s a busy airport. Big Deal. All airports in that neck of the woods busy. All aircraft working in controlled airspace are required to have a functioning and transmitting TCAS (Traffic Collision Avoidance System) which displays your aircraft, altitude and heading and they all reciprocate meaning everyones’ TCAS talk to each other and a warning comes up in plenty of time if the computer in the TCAS calcuates a possible intrusion into the flightpath. The commuter would have one of these and the only way the commuter plane would not have received a TCAS warning is if the Blackhawk either did not have one (highly unlikely) or did not engage it (even more unlikely) Military aircraft working in commercial airspace are required to respect Commercial Air Regs. When a situation arises that that is not possible then a NOTAM (notice to airmen) is given to all commercial operations in the affected area. In terms of “oh, it is busy in the cockpit”. A pilot is trained to engage in a flow, Outside, engine/fuel/transmission temps etc, and flight instruments. And that is for a single pilot. This is a two-operator aircraft Pilot and Co pilot. Outside awairness is actually increased. Blackhawk helicopters are “busy inside”. Sure, but they got shot at from the outside so the aircrew are trained in both. I saw the video, there was plenty, I mean tons of time for one or the other in the pilot in command or co-pilot seat to see what their flight direction would run into. And don’t forget that commercial aircraft, in addition to have strobes, also have their tails illuminated, to make it easier to spot. A 20ft by 20ft lit billboard.

    2. Allan.

      This type of helo is polished and has easy to see colors across the body.
      Not you typical Army color.

  9. Political Correctness , tolerance.
    Simple words that lead to a universal excuse, so certain people could look at others to blame for their own hardships.
    You don’t just have to carry your weight , but the dead weight of someone who hasn’t even tried yet in life.
    But they get a I’m handicapped sign for being able to breath.
    I feel for Steyn he was way out ahead of the pack along with others.
    It’s too bad we had a Conservative in Government back when this nonsense was starting that could have put a warning into some parting words before he left, but didn’t as it’s always about the money……

  11. Re: the report that only ONE ATC was on duty because the Supervisor granted the other ATC to leave work early … during what was obviously a peak flight time with miles of multiple planes stacked up for landings and takeoffs …

    Supervisory misconduct. Shameful misconduct. Criminal misconduct. My local McDonalds supervisor wouldn’t allow any employee to leave early during the lunchtime or dinner time rush without covering that shift with another employee. If my local fast food Manager understands CRITICAL staffing needs … then why doesn’t a government employee in a critical, public-safety, operation understand this BASIC operational imperative.

  12. “If you’re going to die in a helicopter crash you are going to want the pilot to look like you”
    “If you’re plane crashes in the river, you got yourself there”
    Just paraphrasing of course.

  13. Yada Yada. Yes, DIE is bad. Yes airport busy. Yes, ATC short staff.

    But – the airspace design – the “normal procedure” put crossing helicopter traffic (Route 4) right under the approach to runway 33, with vertical separation that nobody outside the Good ‘Ole US of A would think a “Good Thing” ™. The helicopter traffic was supposed to be “not above 200 feet” and a passenger jet at 1 mile out would be at about 300 feet on a 3 degree slope. The rest of the world – even bongo-bongo land – would want 500+ ft minimum separation.

    And on this one day, the helicopter was a bit too high and happened to be there at the same time as the jet was asked to change from runway 01 to 33 at short notice and the ATC bloke was overworked and the helicopter pilot mis-identified the aircraft that he was supposed to pass behind and the rest is history.

    PS: Trump supporter me, but that crass politicking in the press conference made me puke.

    1. There’s a point to be made here gareth. The planes have a minimum floor elevation, or, at least they used to. I once heard an interview stating that on a shorter runway the pilots like to lessen the angle of descent. I’m less familiar with the south end of this airport but I will say from the North there is a floor. ( Supposing it’s at 500 ft. )
      I’m not sure what the floor is from the south but they tend to keep things the same. So….
      It’s possible the plane was too low at a mile out. It’s counterintuitive but you logically mentioned separation.
      I think they all suck. Therefore I imagine they all broke rules, because they suck. I can’t find the approach rules for Reagan National because the internet sucks. Everything has gone to shet because of shetheaded irresponsible liberals suck. That plane going down, that’s the suck we’re supposed to embrace. Trump is right not to embrace the suck. Any of it. Is he lashing out at innocent people or the responsible parties?
      I say fork all the responsible parties because they suck.

      1. You’re waffling about that of which you know not. The airfield plate is publicly available. The airspace chart is publicly available. There is a a long thread on this whole sorry thing at PPRUNE.
        The basic point is that the track of a passenger jet on approach to 33 (or stabilized approach to any runway) means that it is at about 300 – 350 ft QFE at 1 mile out. And helicopter traffic on route 4 was expected to be “not above 200 ft” at the same point. So that’s maybe 150 ft vertical separation and zero horizontal. Not much room for error and *by design* much less than what anywhere else in the world would even think about. If I were out flying and came within 150 ft vertical and zero horizontal of other traffic that would be an airprox (and a serious one).
        BTW: the FAA just closed Route 4 “indefinitely”. Wonder why?

        1. And if you’re on that vector which would bring you within 150 ft. of an airliner !! Good Lord!!! Wouldn’t your proximity alarms be screaming and whining!? I sure as hell HOPE they would. We. Have. The. Technology. It’s 2025

  14. The other supposition I have is … that the helo pilot had asked for visual navigation long before … and just as the helo approached the airport. My supposition is that the helo pilot wanted the freedom to do his own navigation… without having to follow the ATC guidance. I find that unacceptable at this busy and compressed airway intersection. Unacceptable!!

    And the reported fact that there is usually an ATC dedicated to helo traffic ONLY … but he was MIA at the time of this crash … pretty much certifies my conclusion.

    Here’s what I want our government to do. FIRE incompetent people. FIRE anyone who allowed only a single ATC to handle this busy airport. FIRE the ATC who gave incomplete direction. And FIRE everyone the FAA hired because they met some arbitrary color other than white … and other than possessing a penis

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