Army Finds Systemic Failures in Crash  10/09 06:21

   

   (AP) -- The U.S. Army found systemic safety breakdowns behind last year's 
midair collision between an American Airlines jet and a Black Hawk helicopter 
near Washington, D.C., and recommended changes to prevent future tragedies.

   The Army report -- completed in May and released publicly Thursday after 
months of pressure from the victims' families -- identified failures involving 
air traffic control, helicopter routes, training and safety practices. The 
Associated Press obtained a copy of the report hours before it was released.

   The deadliest plane crash on U.S. soil in over two decades happened when the 
helicopter collided with the descending airliner as it approached the runway, 
sending both plummeting into the icy Potomac River and killing 67.

   The Army report highlighted how the air traffic controller at Ronald Reagan 
Washington National Airport could have prevented the crash, but it also 
acknowledged the military's own failings and other contributing factors.

   Families demand answers from the Army 

   Tim Lilley, a former Army Black Hawk pilot whose son Sam Lilley was the 
airliner's first officer, said the report leaves important questions 
unanswered. Parts were redacted, and responsibility for the Army's failures was 
assigned broadly rather than to individuals.

   "The Army owes the families and the American public a full accounting of how 
these risks were allowed to persist, who was responsible for the decisions that 
allowed them to persist and what will be done to make sure this never happens 
again," said Lilley, now a commercial jet captain.

   The Army acknowledged that in a statement Thursday.

   "We recognize the families' need for answers and remain committed to 
transparency regarding the Army's review," it said.

   Report identifies key factors in the crash 

   While the report largely reinforces the National Transportation Safety 
Board's conclusions, the civilian investigation was broader and emphasized 
years of missed warnings by the Federal Aviation Administration along with a 
weak military safety culture.

   The Army faulted the air traffic controller for not giving the helicopter 
crew more precise information about the approaching jet and for not warning the 
jet's pilot about the helicopter. After the crash, the FAA prohibited 
controllers from relying on pilots to maintain visual separation in busy 
airspace.

   The report recommended looking beyond Washington to examine military 
helicopter operations in other major cities for similar risks. An Army official 
said the review of helicopter flights in other cities, including Los Angeles 
and the Seattle-Tacoma region, is ongoing. The official spoke on condition of 
anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the situation publicly.

   The lieutenant general who authored the report cited "breakdowns across all 
layers of conflict management" but singled out two failed radio transmissions 
that contributed to the helicopter crew not identifying the jet. The military 
pilots' night-vision goggles also restricted their view and made it hard to 
spot the plane amid the city lights.

   The poorly designed helicopter route allowed a scant 75 feet (23 meters) of 
vertical separation between a helicopter and a plane landing on the airport's 
secondary runway, assuming helicopters stayed near the riverbank, which the 
route didn't require. This did not allow enough separation to account for the 
accepted level of error in a Black Hawk's altimeter, and the NTSB found the 
helicopter was flying nearly 100 feet (30 meters) higher than its instruments 
read.

   NTSB says the Army is making safety changes 

   The NTSB said in a letter to the Army last week that it was pleased with the 
Army's progress on seven of its eight safety recommendations. That contrasts 
with the FAA's failure to implement roughly a third of the recommendations 
aimed at the agency.

   The Army said it has strengthened helicopter crew training, and has 
inspected and reconfigured 3,585 helicopters after discovering the crashed 
Black Hawk's ADS-B Out system, which broadcasts its location, hadn't been 
working for some time.

   The military is also improving its monitoring of safety risks and working 
with the FAA to share information about close calls.

   Victims' families push Congress for safety reforms 

   Families of the crash victims said the Army's findings strengthen their case 
for legislation requiring aircraft to have technology that helps pilots detect 
nearby traffic.

   "It's a simple concept anyone can understand: aircraft should be able to see 
each other in the sky. The technology is proven. All that's required is the 
political will to do the right thing," the Families of Flight 5342 group said 
in a statement Thursday.

   "We have waited long enough. We waited for the NTSB. We waited for the Army. 
Both investigations are complete, and both make clear that collision avoidance 
technology must be part of the solution. There is nothing left for Congress to 
wait for," they said.

   The House and Senate have passed separate aviation safety bills but have yet 
to agree on a final version.