Nearly a year after the tragic mid-air collision that killed 67 people when a US Army Black Hawk helicopter struck American Airlines flight 5342, federal investigators are now sharing details about what they believe may have taken place.
Sources shared that more details were outlined during a recently held NTSB hearing where officials presented a visibility study that suggested how the helicopter crew should have been able to see the passenger jet well before the crash occurred.
{img}This includes the final seconds leading up to the impact. Despite this, investigators believe several factors combined to prevent clear recognition of the danger that lay ahead of them. The helicopter was said to be on a night training mission using night vision goggles, which could severely impact peripheral vision and distort visual perception in a crowded nighttime airspace.
{img}Miscommunication and incomplete radio transmissions are most likely the contributing factors, as critical instructions from air traffic control instructing the helicopter to pass behind the jet might never have been heard in time. Also, the simulations indicate how the crowded controls inside the tower and a single controller handling several aircraft increased the workload for that night, reducing the overall situational awareness linked to the matter.