Retired Black Hawk helicopter pilots speak on navigating DC airspace
The collision involving an American Airlines jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter over the frigid waters of the Potomac River on Wednesday night has raised questions about air safety and the mix of civilian and military aircraft in the skies above the nation’s capital.
Phillip Brashear is a retired chief warrant officer 5 — the highest ranking officials within the Army ranks — a helicopter pilot with both the Virginia Army National Guard and the Army Reserve.
Brashear was a maintenance test pilot on the UH-60 Lima Black Hawk helicopter while serving with the Virginia Army National Guard.
Asked about his reaction when he heard about the collision, Brashear said, “My heart goes out to the families involved. There’s a lot of people involved in this incident and a lot of lost lives.”
Brashear said the mix of civilian and military aircraft in the D.C. area is routine. He noted how the movement of military aircraft in the heavily restricted airspace is constantly monitored.
“There are specific helicopter routes that the air traffic controllers have given the military to use for transiting through the D.C. area, and there are various reporting points along the helicopter routes that you have to contact (Air Traffic Control) and tell them that you’re approaching or (where) you’re at, so that they know exactly positively where you are at every step of the route,” he said.
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Asked about who gets priority in D.C. airspace, Brashear said, “We always have to give way to fixed wing traffic.”
Brashear described another feature of the regulations designed to keep the operators of the military craft and other aircraft safe: “According to the Army regulation, the Black Hawk has a pilot, a copilot and a helicopter crewman in the back.”
That third crewmember, according to Brashear, is critical to the mission of each and every flight: “That third person is another set of eyes in the back of the aircraft to help maintain visual awareness for the air crew.”
Airspace around D.C. is more restricted than in any other part of the country, according to the FAA.
For those not used to seeing military aircraft flying over their hometowns, it can be jarring, but Brashear said, “There’s certain areas of D.C. that you can’t even fly over, even if you’re a military aircraft, you have to have been given specific instructions and permission.”
Any time there’s a crash involving civilian or military jets, flyers can find themselves reconsidering taking that next flight. Brashear said he wants to reassure the public that traveling by plane is still “the safest way to travel in this country.”
“I would tell anybody, never be afraid to fly,” he added.
What happened in this case?
Multiple sources have reported that the Air Traffic Control tower at Reagan National Airport was apparently understaffed on Wednesday night. There was just one controller handling helicopters and instructing planes landing and taking off at the airport — a job typically assigned to two people.
Bradley Bowman, senior director of the Center on Military and Political Power at the Foundation of Defense Democracies, is also a former U.S. Army Black Hawk pilot, and often flew low level helicopter routes along the Potomac.
He told WTOP that there is a “low-level helicopter system that has been in place for decades” that coordinates aircraft around the D.C. area, but especially around Reagan National.
Bowman said the helicopter pilots would have been in constant communication with the ATC tower, requesting permission before flying south of the Francis Scott Key Memorial Bridge.
“One of the first things I think the investigators will want to confirm is what altitude was the Black Hawk at, and if the collision happened at about 400 feet, that’s 100-200 feet higher than they should have ever been,” he told WTOP.
Bowman said the helicopter pilots were “heroes who paid the ultimate price.”
“We need to make sure that we give our people in uniform the resources and training that they need to do their job safely and make sure that they can continue to do it for our country,” he said.
WTOP’s Ciara Wells contributed to this report.
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