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The FAA publishes supplemental charts specifically for helicopters in areas with high concentrations of helicopter activity: https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/fli

The FAA publishes supplemental charts specifically for helicopters in areas with high concentrations of helicopter activity: https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/flight_info/aeronav/productcatalog/vfrcharts/helicopter/ https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/flight_info/aeronav/productc... Specifically the Baltimore-Washington route chart was relevant for these flights: https://aeronav.faa.gov/visual/10-31-2024/PDFs/Balt-Wash_Heli.pdf https://aeronav.faa.gov/visual/10-31-2024/PDFs/Balt-Wash_Hel... If you find the DCA airport on that chart, you’ll find routes 1 and 4 which roughly correspond to the helicopter’s flight path.

Animats 2y ago
Right. Helicopter was on Helicopter Route 4, per the map, apparently on course. Aircraft was on approach to Runway 33, apparently on course. That helicopter route crosses the approach to runway 33. That's controlled airspace. How did they both have clearance to be there? We'll know more tomorrow as all the audio and radar recordings are examined.
- agsnu 2y ago
  They were almost certainly both cleared to maintain visual separation.
  - deepersprout 2y ago
    > They were almost certainly both cleared to maintain visual separation. DCA TWR: PAT25, traffic just south of the Woodrow Bridge, a CRJ, it's 1200 feet setting up for runway 33. PAT25: PAT25 has the traffic in sight, request visual separation. DCA TWR: Visual separation approved. Audio of MID-AIR CRASH into Potomac River: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiOybe-NJHk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiOybe-NJHk
- hluska 2y ago
  This comment was written by a US Coast Guard helicopter pilot. It gives a lot of information on how the two aircraft should have been able to share the space and some speculation on what went wrong: https://www.reddit.com/r/aviation/comments/1idba8i/comment/m9yfvz6/ https://www.reddit.com/r/aviation/comments/1idba8i/comment/m...
  - Animats 2y ago
    That makes sense. A helicopter instructor suggests that possibly the helicopter pilots, who were told to go behind an aircraft that was landing, were looking at the previous aircraft that was landing.[1] That's just speculation at this point. [1] https://philip.greenspun.com/blog/2025/01/29/reagan-national-airport-blackhawk-crj-crash/ https://philip.greenspun.com/blog/2025/01/29/reagan-national...
  - GoblinSlayer 2y ago
    They could use the car autopilot solution: simply negotiate your coordinates with nearby traffic instead of trying to parse malformed visual data.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]

Animats 2y ago

Right. Helicopter was on Helicopter Route 4, per the map, apparently on course. Aircraft was on approach to Runway 33, apparently on course. That helicopter route crosses the approach to runway 33. That's controlled airspace. How did they both have clearance to be there? We'll know more tomorrow as all the audio and radar recordings are examined.

agsnu 2y ago
They were almost certainly both cleared to maintain visual separation.
- deepersprout 2y ago
  > They were almost certainly both cleared to maintain visual separation. DCA TWR: PAT25, traffic just south of the Woodrow Bridge, a CRJ, it's 1200 feet setting up for runway 33. PAT25: PAT25 has the traffic in sight, request visual separation. DCA TWR: Visual separation approved. Audio of MID-AIR CRASH into Potomac River: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiOybe-NJHk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiOybe-NJHk
hluska 2y ago
This comment was written by a US Coast Guard helicopter pilot. It gives a lot of information on how the two aircraft should have been able to share the space and some speculation on what went wrong: https://www.reddit.com/r/aviation/comments/1idba8i/comment/m9yfvz6/ https://www.reddit.com/r/aviation/comments/1idba8i/comment/m...
- Animats 2y ago
  That makes sense. A helicopter instructor suggests that possibly the helicopter pilots, who were told to go behind an aircraft that was landing, were looking at the previous aircraft that was landing.[1] That's just speculation at this point. [1] https://philip.greenspun.com/blog/2025/01/29/reagan-national-airport-blackhawk-crj-crash/ https://philip.greenspun.com/blog/2025/01/29/reagan-national...
- GoblinSlayer 2y ago
  They could use the car autopilot solution: simply negotiate your coordinates with nearby traffic instead of trying to parse malformed visual data.
deleted 2y ago
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