BALTIMORE — NTSB investigators revealed that a critical 20-second window could have prevented the deadly collision between an American Airlines flight and a Black Hawk helicopter over the icy Potomac River, when an operations supervisor should have issued a safety alert.
The collision occurred when the helicopter's main rotor contacted the underside of the airplane's left wing, causing the outboard section of the wing to separate in flight, according to NTSB investigator Brice Banning.
NTSB: Reagan National Airport collision was '100% preventable'
Nearly a year after the crash, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy expressed frustration over systemic failures that led to the tragedy.
"How is it that no one, absolutely no one in the FAA did the work to figure out there was only 75 feet, at best, 75 feet of vertical separation?" Homendy said.
The investigation found that despite a 2013 work group recommendation following another collision, the FAA never relocated helicopter Route 4, which was positioned too close to Runway 33 where Flight 5354 had taken off. The agency also failed to identify hotspots, leaving pilots unaware of potential dangers.
"We should be angry. Because for years, no one listened. This was preventable. 100% preventable," Homendy said.
Increased workload on air traffic controllers in an already complex airspace contributed to the accident. NTSB investigator Dr. Katherine Wilson noted that in a post-accident interview, the local controller stated he felt overwhelmed 10-15 minutes before the collision.
Investigators discovered that controllers relied on a practice called "squeeze play" to accommodate increased arrivals regardless of circumstances, ultimately depending on pilots to determine separation from other aircraft.
The NTSB also determined that Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) technology on both aircraft could have alerted pilots nearly a minute before the collision occurred.
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