DC Plane Crash ...

 

I don't know much about the airspace in DC, and I understand that it's a congested area -  but I still have a lot of questions about how this happened, the first of which being -  what was an Army Black Hawk, our premier, multimillion-dollar combat helicopter, even doing in an overly congested commercial airspace? 

So according to the NYT, here are the flight paths of both when they collided ...

Then looking at a Google map,  I've circled commercial versus military air fields in DC.

Those circled in red are military - Ft. Andrews/Meadows Field to the southeast, the FAA Potomac further south (and slightly southeast), and the helipad near the White House.

Those circled in blue are commerical/domestic - Reagan National near the WH helipad, Dulles International to the west, and several private, commercial/domestic air fields.

(I originally posted the screenshot without the circled areas, but have replaced it now.) 

I don't get it.  

Why was the helicopter pilot going straight down the Potomac into a commercial airspace, when he could've gone to the east to Ft. Andrews/Meadows Field or the FAA Potomac?

Was he taking the scenic route or-?

That, by the way, would not be uncommon, I was just told.

In fact, my former Army ranger husband has done just that - ridden along in a Blackhawk, down the Potomac, for the scenic route/joyride experience, back to base. 

I get it -  woo hoo, follow the river, all the pretty lights -  you're flying aces with top training, trained to dodge anything in a split-second - and yet not very safe or smart.

But then who ever said Army men don't like dance with danger?

Okay - but this is how civilians can get killed, my good men.

Anyway ...

Pete Hegseth, US Secretary of Defense, care to answer that question?

Mr. Secretary of Defense, do you copy?

Pete?

Peeeetyyyy?

Helllloooo?

Oh, never mind - though everybody else has chimed in, including the Sec of Transportation, even the dog-killer, Kristi Noem, of the DHS, I forgot that Pete's probably still sleeping off his hangover.

Somebody call the escort service he used, then, maybe one of the girls can wake him up.

Now - I am NOT suggesting a conspiracy -  I'm suggesting that I don't understand why the pilot took this airpath, that's all.  

It just seems that good common sense would tell you not to go straight down the Potomac into an already-congested commercial airspace, but obviously, I'm not a pilot and maybe there's good reason?

I mean, dang, if congested airspace is that much of a problem, then we don't even need a war overseas to crash a multimillion-dollar combat helicopter, just send them to the DC commercial airspace?

Regardless, I'm very saddened by the loss of the young figure skaters, their coaches, and their families.

I understand that the area is congested, but things like this shouldn't happen in this day and age 😢

________________________

PS - Trump just blamed the plane crash on diversity/inclusion/equity policies and Democrats creating incompetent air traffic controllers at his afternoon WH Press Conference.

HAHAHAHAHAHA! 😂😂😂

Oh, he was serious.

Yeah, um ... how exactly is THAT, Trump?

Are you insinuating the air traffic controllers have people of color and are therefore incompetent?

WHAT ABOUT  WHY THE PILOT WAS FLYING A COMBAT BLACKWHAWK HELICOPTER THAT LOW IN COMMERCIAL AIRSPACE? 

Sigh.

All I know is, I would never want to be an air-traffic controller - that has got to be one of the most stressful jobs in America, whatever your color of skin or sexual orientation.

Regardless, glad I wasn't the only one that noticed Pete Hegseth appears to be curiously silent and  MIA - because the press asked Trump the same thing at the early-morning WH press briefing.

Again, would someone call the Escort Service that Petey used and have one of the girls wake him up out of his drunken/coked-up stupor to address this, please?