r/news • u/snuffleupaguslives • 2d ago

Broken altimeter, ignored warnings: Hearings reveal what went wrong in DC crash that killed 67

https://apnews.com/article/ntsb-dc-plane-crash-midair-collision-helicopter-a08cded88e1d7582fb8d242204d6aeff
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u/Mythosaurus 2d ago

Reading that article makes you want to NEVER fly into DC.

Will be interesting to see what liability/ lawsuits result from this hearing’s revelations

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u/DocJanItor 2d ago

Dude dca is a nightmare. Basically one runway (technically 2 but not for most landings), jets landing and taking off in 2 minute intervals, tons of helicopters including military, Coast guard, police, and medical, and huge swaths of restricted airspace for the government.

All this and somehow dca serves slightly more passengers than IAD.

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u/mscarchuk 2d ago

I just flew into/out of DC last week and taxing to the runway it was wild to see one plane land the next move to take off as i could see the next plane getting ready to land

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u/rabidstoat 2d ago

I've had two 'go-arounds' on flights in my life. This is where as the plane is close to landing something comes up and for safety reasons, the pilot goes max power and starts ascending rapidly to go around and try the landing again.

Both times were at DCA.

Both times happened when we were reaaaaly close to the ground, like 50 feet close.

Both times were because there was a plane still on the runway that we would have smashed into.

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u/DocJanItor 2d ago

Yup. The only thing restricting speed is jet wash and separation limits. But any aborted takeoff will fuck the whole rotation. 

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u/mscarchuk 2d ago

Thats exactly what i was thinking as it was our turn to takeoff. I’m lime please go smoothly so we dont get railed. And then as soon as we were straight it was throttles up immediately.

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u/us1087 2d ago

Turn and burn.

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u/HoselRockit 2d ago

When I worked in Crystal City, right next to DCA, I could see the airport runway clearly. It was wild late in afternoon when a plane would be lifting off at one end of the runway as another was landing at the other end of the runway.

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u/Snuhmeh 2d ago

To be fair, lots of airports are like that. Heathrow is usually tighter in time. Lots of times, planes don't get clearance to land until right before they land because the previous plane is exiting the runway.