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Night vision goggles may have hindered the U.S. Army helicopter pilots in the moments before the deadly crash with a jet in Washington D.C., that claimed the lives of 67 people, experts have said.
The technology, worn by the pilots, would have made it difficult to see the color of the lights on the passenger plane, which could have helped determine the direction in which it was traveling, as well as limiting peripheral vision.
Friday saw the final day of public testimony to the National Transportation Safety Board over the fatal midair crash – which occurred almost exactly six months ago in February.
Flight 5342 from Kansas was on the final approach to D.C.’s Ronald Reagan National Airport when it collided with the Black Hawk helicopter before exploding. There were 67 people aboard the two flights when they crashed, and none survived.
At Friday’s hearing, experts said that, in addition to the possible hindrance caused by the use of night vision goggles, pilots also may not have been able to distinguish the aircraft from lights on the ground while the two aircraft were on a collision course.
The helicopter pilots may not have known where to look for a plane that was landing on a secondary runway that most planes didn't use, experts said.
“Knowing where to look. That’s key,” said Stephen Casner, an expert in human factors who used to work at NASA.
Though it is still too early to identify what exactly caused the crash, with a final report from the board expected next year, a number of factors that may have contributed to the tragedy have been unearthed over the past two days of testimony.
Major issues to emerge included the fact that the Black Hawk helicopter had been above prescribed levels near the airport as well as the warnings to FAA officials for years about the hazards related to the heavy chopper traffic there.
Mary Schiavo, a former U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General, told The Associated Press that both the Army and the FAA appear to share significant blame for the deadly incident.
The Black Hawks' altimeters could be off by as much as 100 feet and were still considered acceptable, she told the outlet. The crew was flying an outdated model that struggled to maintain altitude, while the helicopter pilots’ flying was “loose” and under “loose” supervision.
“It’s on the individuals, God rest their souls, but it’s also on the military,” Schiavo said. “I mean, they just seem to have no urgency of anything.”
Questions were also raised during the hearings by the FAA’s lack of alcohol testing for air traffic controllers after the crash.
Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy urged the Federal Aviation Administration to “do better" as she pointed to warnings the agency had ignored years earlier.
The D.C. collision was the first in a string of crashes and near misses this year that have alarmed officials and the traveling public, despite statistics that still show flying remains the safest form of transportation.
