Airlines, airplanes and other kerfuffles

[talonlm]

To be clear, I am not a pilot. I used to sit between the pilots and heckle bad landings, and, at one point, was a CRM 'facilitator' and a sim operator I tried to avoid helicopters like the whirling cuisinarts of death that they are but failed in that and got detached to work with them for a bit.

There is more to this story than simply dumping this onto the crew. For example, according to the NTSB's preliminary report, there with 15,000+ 'proximity events' from 2021-2024. Why was that corridor even open? There's no question the -60 drivers fucked up and killed a bunch of people. But, frankly, they paid the price. So did 67 others. I want to know where else culpability lies.

It's better to wait for the report.

 

[amlove21]

Very long article from NYT (article is from an archive to avoid a paywall).

https://archive.is/bwAhZ#selection-2931.0-2965.22

From the article, buried waaaaaaay at the bottom of the 5k word piece...

"Two seconds after the controller’s cut out instruction about passing behind the jet, Warrant Officer Eaves replied, affirming for the second time that the Black Hawk saw the traffic.

“PAT two-five has the aircraft in sight. Request visual separation,” he said.

“Vis sep approved,” the controller replied.

It was their last communication.

The Black Hawk was 15 seconds away from crossing paths with the jet. Warrant Officer Eaves then turned his attention to Captain Lobach.
He told her he believed that air traffic control wanted them to turn left, toward the east river bank.

Turning left would have opened up more space between the helicopter and Flight 5342, which was heading for Runway 33 at an altitude of roughly 300 feet.

She did not turn left."