The altimeter on the Black Hawk helicopter that collided with an American Eagle regional jet in Washington last January was reading 80 to 100 feet low when the crash occurred, killing all 67 people on both planes. Indeed, the helicopter was at about 280 feet above the Potomac instead of the 200-foot maximum for helicopters in that corridor when the collision happened. That was a key bit of new information revealed in three days of fact-finding hearings held by the NTSB. Investigators found three other Black Hawks in the same Army Unit with faulty altimeters. Although the pilots had other sources of altitude information, the NTSB pointed out that systemic failures like that were representative of the cascade of missteps that led to the collision.
Air traffic control staff shortages resulted in numerous instances where controllers were overworked in the DCA tower. A familiar refrain to “make it work” became a sort of mantra for the controllers when they were under pressure to keep the flow into the busy airport even when significantly short-staffed. In fact, it is sometimes a mark of pride. “We have many non-standard tools that we use in order to be able to bring a significant amount of airplanes into DCA, ” said Bryan Lehman, air traffic manager at the Potomac TRACON, told the hearings. Even so, he added the pressure becomes excessive at times.
Lehman also noted that DCA controllers sent a written request to FAA brass asking for a reduction in traffic at the airport in 2023. A year later Congress approved an increase in traffic to the airport, many of them direct flights to airports near the homes of some members of Congress.
