Helicopter in deadly DC airport collision was flying too high, NTSB says

Helicopter in deadly DC airport collision was flying too high, NTSB says

Investigators have found the Army helicopter involved in a deadly mid-air collision over Washington DC was receiving faulty altitude data, causing it to fly higher than intended.

The findings, revealed during National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) hearing, indicate that the helicopter’s altimeters – devices that tell pilots how high off the ground they are – showed discrepancies ranging from 80ft (24.4m) to 130ft.

All 64 passengers onboard an American Airlines flight, along with three crew members on the helicopter, were killed in the 29 January crash.

Investigators are not expected to identify the cause of the crash at the hearing but will present insights into what led to the tragedy.

The first day of the three-day hearing has focused on the military helicopter’s altimeter, performance and navigation systems.

The hearing opened on Wednesday with a video animation showing the path of the helicopter and airliner just before the collision.

Families of the crash victims attended the hearing, some wearing pictures of their loved ones around their necks or on buttons.

Tim Lilley, whose son Sam was the plane’s first officer, told CBS News, the BBC’s US partner, that he hopes the hearing will help him learn more about those final moments.

“I know that my son saw that helicopter one second before impact, and they tried very hard to avoid it,” Mr Lilley said.

“Sam was a good pilot, and he would have been trying to fly that aircraft all the way, all the way to the bottom.”

By BBC News