WP learned about the preventability of a plane crash with figure skaters from the Russian Federation to the USA

The main reason for the crash of an American Airlines passenger plane and a Blackhawk military helicopter in the United States near the National Airport, in which Russian figure skaters were killed, was an incorrectly designed helicopter route. This was reported on January 28 by The Washington Post (WP), citing Jennifer Homendi, head of the National Transportation Safety Board.

It is indicated that the investigation considers the disaster to be 100% preventable. The investigation condemned the work of the American army for not warning the pilots about the possible inaccuracy of altitude data. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the army did not train pilots to operate in congested airspace.

According to the newspaper, the helicopter crew members could have mistaken a more distant plane for the one they were supposed to avoid. Also, the dispatcher did not warn the flight crew about the approach of the helicopter. Homendi noted that the collision could have been avoided if all planes and helicopters were required to broadcast their location and receive information about other aircraft.

At the same time, the investigation found that at the time of the disaster, the airspace at the airport was overloaded. The dispatcher controlled the flights of five helicopters and six airplanes, working for more than five hours without other controllers. In addition, signals about a possible collision were received nine times within 18 minutes before the crash.

Gone under water: in the U.S., an airplane collided with a helicopter near the Potomac River

Extensive work is underway, divers are retrieving bodies

On the night of January 30, 2025, an American Airlines passenger plane and a Black Hawk military helicopter collided near Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, after the accident they fell into the Potomac River. There were 60 passengers and four crew members on board the civilian aircraft, and three military personnel in the helicopter. US President Donald Trump has announced that no one survived the plane crash in Washington. The incident was also blamed on an air traffic controller who made a mistake in the aeropot control tower.

Later, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that there were Russian citizens, Russian figure skaters, on the plane that crashed in Washington. The Russian Embassy in Washington reported that the US State Department confirmed the deaths of Russians Evgenia Shishkova, Vadim Naumov and Inna Volyanskaya in the plane crash.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.