Plane crash in Washington

[kalvado]

WTOP reports that the FAA will impose significant new restrictions on most helicopter traffic in that area. Obviously, they can't ban all such traffic given the proximity to the White House.

Ultimately this would be a power game between Congress - members don't use helicopters too much, but love DCA flights home, and VVIPs from Pentagon, and possibly cabinet level figures - who probably live in DC.
Reducing DCA service would be a better bandaid...

[SEWIGuy]

I saw people claiming on the aviation subreddit, and the flightaware tracker seems to back it up, that the airliner was originally set on approach for runway 1 but then was switched to runway 33 fairly late, perhaps to clear departure backlogs on runway 1. (Runway 1 being the longest and typically-used runway parallel to the Potomac with a final approach directly above the Wilson Bridge, whereas 33 is shorter and diagonal to the Potomac.) This meant that the airliner banked to the right out of its straight approach above the Potomac around National Harbor and banked back to the left above Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling for a final diagonal crossing of the Potomac just prior to the runway 33 threshold, thus setting up a collision course that might not have existed if it remained on the straight approach to runway 1. It sounded like the ATC tower did its job confirming that the helicopter had visual on the airliner and directing the helicopter to pass behind, despite one controller juggling the 2 positions. Saw reports late last night that the helicopter's altitude may have been too high in addition to other reddit theories that the helicopter may have been incorrectly looking at other lights when they confirmed visual, may have been primarily watching for arrivals on runway 1...lots of variables to consider.

I saw this yesterday. Basically the approach they took is exactly how they land on 33. They approach on 1, and then "side step" to 33.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouDAnO8eMf8

[kalvado]

And now there is a recording from the day before, with helicopter - either same one or a sistership - causing 3 advisories and one TCAS goaround in the same area...
Stock up on popcorn, the show will be fun to watch.