The headline on the bottom of the screen when I first saw this report said, "Air Force F-35 suffers major damage." Had to laugh at that one! It should have added, "May not be repairable."

Major Damage.

Is he the military's version of Mayhem?

Did he enlist? Major Mayem Damage?

 

How could you miss that airplane flying across your helo flight path?

The helo had a very different line of sight. The camera is looking into the landing light. The helo is looking from the side and possibly slightly behind.

 

The helo had a very different line of sight. The camera is looking into the landing light. The helo is looking from the side and possibly slightly behind.

I know but damn, if you can't detect logo lights, the strobe lights at night or see something with onboard sensors then what's needed to make visual detection happen?

If you, as the helo pilot, can't visual detect aircraft due to the background light pollution when flying, then it's time to stop allowing a helo to fly there.

 

I know but damn if you can't detect logo lights, the strobe lights at night or see something with onboard sensors then what's needed to make visual detection happen?

AI?

 

AI?

Sadly, that will likely be a possible solution from the tech bros selling AI wares.

 

https://www.themirror.com/news/us-news/faces-american-airlines-plane-crash-944003

 

I know but damn, if you can't detect logo lights, the strobe lights at night or see something with onboard sensors then what's needed to make visual detection happen?

If you, as the helo pilot, can't visual detect aircraft due to the background light pollution when flying, then it's time to stop allowing a helo to fly there.

If they were using NV goggles, that may well have contributed to the problem. Too many point light sources and no color differentiation.

I don't know what equipment they had or how they were using it -- the DoD and NTSB will certainly be looking at that as best they can.

I know from experience that seeing things that seem like they should be glaringly obvious at night can be anything but.

 

Sadly, that will likely be a possible solution from the tech bros selling AI wares.

TBH, I can think of worse ways to utilize AI. If it's nothing more than a passive alert system (as opposed to active TCAS), it might be valuable if it works.

Imaging if it could take live traffic/weather/terrain information into account as well as 360° vis and IR sensors and LIDAR.

This really is just an information problem in the end.

Edit: full disclosure -- I actually wrote embedded code for TCAS systems many years ago.

 

https://www.themirror.com/news/us-news/faces-american-airlines-plane-crash-944003

I have to keep reminding myself that losing a loved one in this crash is, in most ways, no different than losing a loved one in a car crash or skiing accident, any other unexpected event. That pain is amplified, in any event, when it's a child or teenager.

But I can only barely imagine the horrific impact of losing so many kids and others from a tight-knit community such as the figure skaters, their families, and coaches that were on that plane. I say I can barely imagine it only because I can get a glimpse of the impact the loss of the aircraft that carried the Youth Symphony (including my daughter) on their trip to Australia last summer would have had on me. I picture all of the kids that I know, their talent, their dedication, their spirit, being snuffed out. As absolutely devastating as losing my daughter would be (frankly, I don't know that I could come out the other side intact), I know that losing all those other bright souls at the same time would be so infinitely worse.

 

I have to keep reminding myself that losing a loved one in this crash is, in most ways, no different than losing a loved one in a car crash or skiing accident, any other unexpected event. That pain is amplified, in any event, when it's a child or teenager.

But I can only barely imagine the horrific impact of losing so many kids and others from a tight-knit community such as the figure skaters, their families, and coaches that were on that plane. I say I can barely imagine it only because I can get a glimpse of the impact the loss of the aircraft that carried the Youth Symphony (including my daughter) on their trip to Australia last summer would have had on me. I picture all of the kids that I know, their talent, their dedication, their spirit, being snuffed out. As absolutely devastating as losing my daughter would be (frankly, I don't know that I could come out the other side intact), I know that losing all those other bright souls at the same time would be so infinitely worse.

As bad as it is, it's worse if those lives were unnecessarily lost due to incompetence (or policy!). That would make me very angry -- as opposed to just very sad.

 

If they were using NV goggles, that may well have contributed to the problem. Too many point light sources and no color differentiation.

I don't know what equipment they had or how they were using it -- the DoD and NTSB will certainly be looking at that as best they can.

I know from experience that seeing things that seem like they should be glaringly obvious at night can be anything but.

Just my personal opinion with limited experience with old school NV (on a ship) 45 years ago. They should have detected a plane in the pilots visual cone with NV goggles if, and this IMO is a big if, they were actual expecting there to be something close to be detected. From what I read, from today, they didn't expect a plane there because the one they originally saw had landed/took off already. With old school photomultiplier NV you need to do the mount or neck swivel to increase the visual cone and expect something out of the ordinary in that blob of green.

Shipboard NV example

 

Some inside baseball:

https://x.com/Mark_McEathron/status/1885143985678581911

 

Some inside baseball:

https://x.com/Mark_McEathron/status/1885143985678581911

I agree with this comment completely:

Based on this description, such helicopter flights should never ever, in peace times at nights, be allowed into the vicinity of the flight paths of airplanes to and from airports.

OK, you can't see when you need to see, then stop flying when you can't see.

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/live/DNHVfdNXmlo?si=Q3o-6Yeq2utxnYk9

 

Mr. Uber has been drinking and driving again. Don't put Mr. Uber in my patrol car.

 

 

When I saw the PAT designation for these helo flight I knew it was special.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/cr...as-responsible-doomsday-readiness-2025-02-01/

The Black Hawk helicopter that collided with a passenger jet in Washington on Wednesday was on a training flight along a route core to a seldom-discussed military mission to evacuate senior officials to safety in the event of an attack on the U.S., officials say.
The military mission, known as "continuity of government" and "continuity of operations," is meant to preserve the ability of the U.S. government to operate.

 

Busy week for the NTSB.

 

Busy week for the NTSB.

Horrible accident ... the two passengers and four crew members were all Mexican nationals ... they were on a medical mission to treat a pediatric patient ... a little girl and her mother were the passengers.