Aviation News Talk Podcast

The NTSB held a press conference to provide preliminary findings from the flight data recorder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR) related to the January 29 midair collision near Reagan National Airport between a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and a PSA Airlines CRJ regional jet. The Black Hawk was conducting a checkride with night vision goggles and was following FAA-designated helicopter routes. The CRJ was cleared for a visual approach to Runway 33. The investigation revealed discrepancies in altitude readings from the Black Hawk’s instruments, raising concerns about possible erroneous altimeter data. At 8:47:40 PM, the CRJ received an automated traffic advisory, and the tower instructed the Black Hawk to pass behind the CRJ. However, due to a transmission overlap, the Black Hawk may not have received the full instruction. Seconds later, the aircraft collided at approximately 313 feet altitude. The NTSB is conducting a visibility study, examining night vision goggle effects, air traffic contr