On the evening of January 29th a Black Hawk helicopter crashed into an American Airlines regional jet over Washington DC. This was the start of a series of plane crashes that shook the nation. In this article we will talk about some of the most notable ones and investigate their impact.
Reagan Airport/ Blackhawk Helicopter Crash: Washington DC January 29th, 2025.
The collision resulted in the death of all passengers and pilots. In total 67 people, 64 in the jet (60 passengers, four crew members), and three in the helicopter, died. The plane was flying from Wichita, Canada, to Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia. The helicopter was going for its annual proficiency training flight. Unfortunately the focus has shifted from a question of why they collided to why DEI is to blame. While it is important to note that the investigation is still ongoing, there have been many discoveries that could lead to a possible answer. First, the plane seems to be blameless in this collision. The plane was flying at a normal height and speed, and there is no note of the pilot breaking any procedures. One possible cause could be the overcrowded airspace around the Reagan Airport. Experts say that this airport, even in the most ideal conditions, is incredibly dangerous to even the most experienced pilots. Ross Aimer, a retired United Airlines captain and chief executive officer of Aero Consulting Experts described it as quote, “A disaster waiting to happen” and that “Those of us who have been around a long time have been yelling into a vacuum that something like this would happen because our systems are stretched to extremes.” In the end Ross Aimer was right, with the worst “I told you” so in history. So what does this have to do with DEI, well it’s only brought up because President Trump has gone on record saying that DEI is to blame for this tragedy. He said that “They’re smart (referring to Elon Musk’s staff) unlike what they do in the control towers, where we need smart people. We should use some of them in the control towers, where we were putting people that were actually intellectually deficient.” Claiming that people from different backgrounds can’t do certain jobs just on principle. The Federal Aviation Agency has been forced to send out statements saying that the air traffic controllers were actually highly trained. It is most likely that the helicopter pilots were the cause of the crash. It is suspected that the Blackhawk helicopter was flying too high; it was at 300ft when it was only supposed to fly up to 200 ft in the air. It is important to note that the helicopter also had its safety systems off, though this is permitted for military personnel. Had the safety systems been on, the helicopter would not have crashed due to the safety systems alerting the helicopter about nearby air traffic. There are other factors besides the helicopter that could have caused this collision. Normally there are separate air traffic controllers for helicopters and airplanes, but since the Reagan Airport is always crowded, these controllers have had to double up, splitting their focus between both airplanes and helicopters. Another factor could have been the visibility, as blackhawk helicopters normally need 4 people in order to see in all directions but this helicopter was only manned with 3 people making it so they could not see in all directions which could be another factor into why the crashed. Due to how it limited how much they pilots could have seen.In order to prevent another collision, the FAA stated that they will be slowing down air traffic at the Reagan airport due to the tragedy of this crash.They have now closed it to helicopter traffic.
Delta crash: Delta Airlines aircraft N932XJ from Minnesota to Toronto crashed on February 17, 2025 at 11:13 a.m at the Toronto Pearson International Airport in Ontario Canada.
(It’s important to note that the people who actually owned the plane were endeavor airlines, a subsidiary of Delta Airlines).The T-tail and right wing separated and ignited a fire, while the fuselage came to rest slightly off the right side of the runway, upside down, and facing the opposite direction from its landing.
This aircraft had 76 passengers and 4 crew members, 21 of which were reported injured and no one died. Aviation safety experts said that the flight attendants and the design of the aircraft played an important role in the relative safety of the passengers in the crash. Videos shared online showed the flight attendants working to quickly evacuate everyone from the aircraft. The aircraft involved was a 16-year-old Bombardier CRJ900, a regional jet commonly used for short- to medium-haul flights. At the time of the crash, winter storms were blowing at 31.7 mph with gusts reaching up to 40 mph. The temperature was around 16.5ºF. Delta airlines has made multiple statements claiming that the pilots were well trained and met the minimum training to fly in these conditions. Delta airlines has given all the people who participated in the crash 30,000$ with no strings attached meaning that the survivors were under no obligation to not sue or testify for delta airlines.
Pennsylvania Crash January 31st, 2025:
On January 31st, 2025 in Philadelphia, a medical jet crashed near Roosevelt Mall, seven people, including all six passengers and one other person in his car were killed. 24 people who were nearby were injured. Of the six who died passengers, four were crew members, one was 11-year old girl, Valentina Guzman Murillo, who had just finished treatment at Shriners children’s Hospital Philadelphia, and her mother Lizeth Murillo Ozuna. The flight was headed for Springfield-Branson Airport in Missouri. It took off at 6:06 and was in the air for under one minute as it began making a quick and steep descent. During the crash on January 31st, Andre “Trey” Howard III was hit by a piece of metal debris, while shielding his sister during the crash. Trey received emergency brain surgery to remove the piece of debris. Eagles football star A. J. Brown would visit Trey after the Super Bowl win against Kansas City. Brown would bring gifts from other Eagle teammates to Trey, as well as bringing Trey the Vince-Lombardi Trophy to take pictures with. Brown would also call Saquon Barkley during his visit with Trey, and the three of them would chat about what it was like to win the Super Bowl, and other questions Trey had for Brown. The crash would destroy four homes, six homes would be majorly damaged, and 11 would have mild damage.
Pennsylvania Crash March 9th, 2025:
On March 9th, 2025,yet another plane crash would happen in Philadelphia, the six-seat 1981 Beechcraft Bonanza took off from Lancaster airport and crashed into the parking lot of Brethren Village retirement community in Lititz at 3:18 p.m. The plane was on its way to Springfield, Ohio when it crashed. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), declared the crash and accident. Five people were on the plane when it crashed, luckily all survived, and were taken to Lancaster General Hospital. Three of the survivors have since moved to Lehigh Valley Health Network’s burn center, the two others stayed in Lancaster General Hospital and have since been released. Thankfully no one in the Brethren Village parking lot was injured, however, 12 cars were severely damaged.
IMAGES:
DC plane crash live updates: All 67 bodies recovered from Potomac River – ABC News All 67 victims killed in the helicopter and plane collision have been recovered from the Potomac River, the Unified Command announced Tuesday. Sixty-six of the remains have been positively identified.
Latest radar evidence suggests Black Hawk in DC disaster was flying too high, but NTSB wants more proof | CNN Helicopter went too high
DC plane crash live updates: All 67 bodies recovered from Potomac River – ABC News trump says dei fault /outdated equipment and understaffed
What we know after American Eagle plane and Black Hawk helicopter collide near Washington, D.C.. Proof of understaffing. Usually 1 for both helicopters and planes. Instead of 1 for each.
HElicopter crew was under staffed, needed to be able to see in all directions. Could be reason for crash.
A timeline of last week’s air disaster in Washington, the deadliest in the US since 2001 Timeline +search for black box.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/black-hawk-helicopter-dc-plane-crash-safety-system-off-senator-says/
Sen. Ted Cruz says black hawk helicopters had safety systems turned off.
He said senators were told the helicopter had its automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) system turned off. Military aircraft are allowed to fly with that system off.
Pilots have long worried about DC’s complex airspace contributing to a catastrophe
Overcrowded airport.
- It is suspected that the BlackHawk helicopter was flying too high. (300 ft when it should only go up to 200 ft) NOT CONFIRMED JUST SUSPECTED
- The pilot was not trans, she wasn’t even there.
NTSB makes ‘urgent safety recommendations’ after deadly DC plane crash | CNN.
