Nighttime collision: Black Hawk and passenger jet tragedy
The crew of the crashed Black Hawk helicopter was very experienced and was conducting an annual night flying test, announced the new Secretary of Defence, Pete Hegseth. He stated that the initiated investigation will determine whether the helicopter was flying the appropriate flight path.
On Wednesday, a Black Hawk helicopter collided with a passenger plane during a night training flight. The new Secretary of Defence, Pete Hegseth, emphasized that the crew was experienced and conducting an annual night flying test.
Hegseth announced that an investigation has been launched to determine if the helicopter was flying the correct path and at the proper altitude. In a video posted on platform X, Hegseth noted that the crew was equipped with night vision goggles, which were supposed to help in conducting the flight safely.
Operational pause for the unit
The unit to which the soldiers belonged is the 12th Aviation Battalion of the US Army stationed at Fort Belvoir in Virginia. They received an order for a 48-hour operational pause. This decision is aimed at enabling a thorough analysis of the accident and preventing similar incidents in the future.
Hegseth expressed hope that the investigation will quickly provide answers to the questions regarding the cause of the accident.
The Bombardier CRJ 700 passenger plane of American Airlines, operated by PSA Airlines, flying from Wichita, collided Wednesday evening with a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter just before the runway at Ronald Reagan Airport in Arlington near Washington, D.C.
Onboard the Bombardier were 64 passengers and four crew members, while the U.S. Army press services reported that three soldiers were aboard the helicopter. All are most likely deceased.
