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What we know about the crash between a military helicopter and a plane at the Washington DC airport

A figure skating team was flying as passengers on the plane. One of the passengers spoke to her husband minutes before the collision.

Comparecencia urgente de las autoridades en el aeropuerto Ronald Reagan

Urgent appearance of the authorities at Ronald Reagan Airport.AFP

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Tragedy struck at Washington D.C.'s Ronald Reagan Airport in Arlington after a collision between a military helicopter and a civilian plane carrying passengers that was preparing to land.

Authorities are deployed to the scene and emergency crews are working around the clock in the Potomac River to carry out rescue efforts.

It was learned Thursday that some of the passengers were professional figure skaters. Two of them were world champions, according to the information that has emerged.

The passengers were identified as Russian-born ice skating coaches and former world champions Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who were married to each other. They won the World Pairs Figure Skating Championship in 1994 and had lived in the United States since the 1990s. At the time of the crash, they were training new generations of skaters.

According to Russian media cited by Reuters, the couple was returning from a competition and traveling with a group of young skaters. Russian media outlet Mash published a list of 13 skaters, many of whom were children of Russian emigres in the United States, who are believed to have been on board the plane.

A husband's last words to his wife

On Thursday, the husband of one of the female passengers on the flight from Kansas revealed that he received a text message from his wife just minutes before the plane collided with the Black Hawk helicopter.

"I'm just praying that someone is pulling her out of the river right now. That's all I can pray for," Hamaad Raza told reporters at Ronald Reagan Airport.

According to the man, his wife had told him that the plane was set to land in about 20 minutes. When he tried to respond, his message could not be delivered to his wife’s terminal, as indicated by his messaging app. "That’s when I realized something was up," he told reporters.

Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk, the crashed helicopter

According to reports, the military helicopter involved in the collision with the regional flight was a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk, which was conducting a practice flight. The helicopter is stationed at Fort Belvoir Army Base in Virginia.

The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk has been in service with the U.S. military since 1979, amassing more than 45 years of operational history. It is a versatile utility helicopter used for tactical troop transport and medium loads.

Over the years, the Black Hawk has become one of the cornerstones of U.S. airmobile forces. It operates with a four-person crew, including two gunners, and its armament is optional, depending on the specific mission.

The helicopter can carry up to 11 personnel along with their individual loads, with a maximum weight capacity of 2,640 lbs. It has a flight range of approximately 367 miles and can reach speeds of up to 183 mph.

Despite its long service history, the Pentagon has deemed the Black Hawk highly reliable and plans to extend its use in the Armed Forces until 2070. This extension will include several upgrades, such as the introduction of autonomous flight capabilities and the integration of the T901 engine, which provides 50% more power and reduces fuel consumption by 25%.

Saturated airspace

The airspace over the Potomac River and near Ronald Reagan Airport has a significant amount of helicopter and airplane traffic. It serves as a critical intersection for military flights, as well as air traffic related to the White House, the Pentagon, and various government institutions.

Civilian and private flights heading to Arlington National Airport also navigate this highly regulated airspace. The flight routes are strictly defined due to Washington, D.C.'s Flight Restricted Zone (FRZ) and Special Flight Rules Area (SFRA), which limit who can fly and under what conditions.

In 2023, Ronald Reagan National Airport handled approximately 310,280 air operations, including takeoffs and landings, averaging around 850 operations per day.

FAA report reveals control tower was understaffed

An internal safety report from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) revealed that staffing in the control tower at Ronald Reagan National Airport was "not normal" the night an airliner and an Army helicopter collided.

According to information obtained by The New York Times, staffing shortages forced a single controller to simultaneously manage aircraft landing and takeoff operations, as well as helicopter traffic. Normally, these tasks are the responsibility of two controllers to avoid work overload and possible coordination failures.

This type of assignment can compromise communication between airplane and helicopter pilots, since they operate on separate radio frequencies. If a single controller handles both operations, pilots may not be able to hear each other, increasing the risk of mid-air incidents.

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