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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The CRJ was banking to the left so the helicopter was seeing the bottom of the plane where there are far fewer lights.

I think this is just a case of human error. They were looking at another plane, didn't see this one as it was coming from a different direction and flew into it. Human error is always a possible risk and that is why air spaces need to be as safe as possible and have as many contingencies as possible to account for human error and prevent tragedy. Which is usually what happens and is what happened the day before.

The investigation won't necessarily be about assigning blame but what changes need to happen to prevent this happening again. [/quote]

I agree with the bolded and generally with the the idea that this is likely a case of human error for which we need to better insulate the system.

However I disagree that we can know what the helicopter pilot saw or why they did what they did at this point. I know many people, including many fellow pilots, are eager to say that this was an understandable mistake based on visibility in that corridor at this time of night. I think it is important those perspectives are heard and accounted for -- that may indeed have been what happened.

But we don't KNOW that's what happened. There are other factors here, including the helicopter's last minute maneuvers that brought it directly into collision with the airplane (veering SW and rising over 100 ft in altitude in a short period of time). To be clear, I do NOT think this is evidence that it was intentional. I just think it's weird and it's not explained by the speculation that the helicopter could not see the plane. If this were just a question of the helicopter not seeing the plane, presumably they would have maintained their current trajectory, right? The only direction they received from ATC was to go behind the plan, which even if they thought it was further away, "behind" a plane approaching either runway at National would mean moving to the east, not to the west.

There are too many unanswered questions for us to conclude what happened based on the commentary of other helicopter pilots who have flown that route. Their input is very helpful but not a full answer.[/quote]

I agree, it is all speculation at this point. However those with expertise can speculate in a more informed way than the rest of us so if I am going to read speculation, I would rather hear from those with more experience and expertise. No one knows for sure what happened at all yet. That answer will be months away and may never be fully answered.

The examination of the path that I was reading by pilots was that there was no sudden SW manouever, they just adjusted from Route 1 to Route 4. Many of the released graphics in the news are inaccurate according to the pilots. Much of the pilot discussion is more technical than I can understand but they did not see any manouever of concern and had many explanations for the change in altitude that were mundane. [/quote]

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