WASHINGTON, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Scores of people were feared dead after an American Airlines regional passenger jet with 64 people on board and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter collided and crashed into the frigid Potomac River near Reagan Washington National Airport.
Officials provided no death toll from Wednesday night's collision but U.S. Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas, from where the flight was traveling, suggested most if not all those on board had been killed.
"It's really hard when you lose probably over 60 Kansans simultaneously," he told a press conference at Reagan airport in the U.S. capital early on Thursday.
"When one person dies, it's a tragedy, but when many, many, many people die, it's an unbearable sorrow. It's a heartbreak beyond measure."
American Airlines confirmed 60 passengers and four crew members were aboard the jet. The helicopter, on a training flight, was carrying three soldiers, a U.S. official said.
Ex-VFR pilot here. I know enough to sit in judgement over this situation because it's crystal clear.
As is standard practice in this very congested airspace, the helicopter pilot asked for clearance to cross the regional jet's approach for landing using visual seperation. The ATC controller confirmed that the helicopter pilot had visual contact with the regional jet, then granted clearance.
The regional jet cannot maneuver for visual seperation while on approach for landing. It was entirely the helicopter pilot's responsibility to maintain seperation with the regional jet. The collision is entirely the helicopter pilot's fault.
Basically, the military just killed a bunch of civilians because they failed to do something that any pilot with an IFR license is regularly expected to do.
Thanks for this explanation!