Aviation expert explains why a plane and a helicopter could collide in Washington

Aviation expert explains why a plane and a helicopter could collide in Washington Dzvenislava Moshovskaya

A passenger plane and a military helicopter collided in Washington on the evening of January 29, 2025. According to the latest data, 67 people died in this air disaster.

Aviation expert Konstantin Krivolap told Channel 24 that the place where the tragedy occurred is a very busy flight zone. Helicopters and planes take off and land there at different sites. All this is controlled by a dispatcher who is in the tower and sees everything.

Probable circumstances of the plane crash

Konstantin Krivolap emphasized that on January 29, there were good weather conditions in Washington, so this could not have been the cause of the incident. The International Organization for Safety suggests a version that is related to pilot or air traffic controller error.

According to an aviation expert, the pilots of the helicopter that crashed were experienced, since they worked in a squadron that services VIPs.

It is known that the air traffic controller asked the pilot of the helicopter that was taking off if he could see the plane that was coming in to land. He answered that he could, but then the plane changed course slightly. Apparently, the pilots did not record this moment, he noted.

Probably, the transponder, which shows the coordinates of the aircraft in space, was turned off on the military helicopter. The warning system about possible proximity to other aircraft did not work.

Krivolap also noted that the plane crash occurred in a very tense airspace. There is a lot of powerful city lighting in the evening. The pilots could have lost spatial orientation.

By the way, according to the NYT, the investigation of the plane crash in Washington points to critical problems in the US aviation safety system. The tragedy occurred due to the error of the dispatcher, who, due to excessive workload, did not have time to prevent a collision between an airplane and a helicopter. In addition, the violation of standard procedures and the deviation of aircraft from the route increased the risk of an accident.