366 Midair Collision at Reagan National - Tragedy Over the Potomac

Max discusses the tragic midair collision at Reagan National Airport between a PSA Airlines CRJ700 regional jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter. The midair crash over the Potomac River was captured by a Kennedy Center webcam.

ATC instructed the Army helicopter to follow the airliner to Runway 33, but it did not comply. The helicopter was not transmitting ADS-B Out, though its position was tracked using Mode S transponders. TCAS alerts are disabled below 400 feet, meaning the pilots had no automated warning. Nighttime perception challenges likely contributed to the crew's failure to see and avoid each other.

Trescott reviews ATC audio and past midair collisions, emphasizing the Swiss Cheese Model of accident causation—multiple failures aligned to cause the crash. A reported FAA radar screen showed collision alerts 30 seconds prior, but no action was taken. He urges pilots to use traffic displays with relative vectors for better situational awareness, particularly at night.

The episode ends with a call to fly defensively and use all available tools to prevent midair collisions.

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