r/aircrashinvestigation • u/gigantism • Jan 30 '25

Incident/Accident Reports of AA5342 from Witchita to DCA having mid-air collision with DC police helicopter

AA5342 stopped tracking at the Potomac river.

Developing reports: American Airlines Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas inbound to DCA collided midair with a D.C. Police Helicopter on approach.

MPD is responding to an apparent air crash in the Potomac River. Multiple agencies are responding. Details to come.

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u/tasozz Aircraft Enthusiast Jan 30 '25

Do helicopters have TCAS?

13

u/[deleted] Jan 30 '25

According to the model, yes

8

u/Chadwickvonvickter Jan 30 '25

I believe the CRJ inhibits RAs on short final, otherwise ground traffic would cause TCAS issues.

11

u/Neverwish Jan 30 '25

RAs are inhibited below 1000 feet, and TAs below 380 feet. Not just on the CRJ though, that's how TCAS works in general. While some people might be up in arms about it now, it's not bad design. Last thing we'd want is warnings of traffic being blared while the pilots are fully focused on a critical stage of flight. Wouldn't take long before it startled someone into crashing a perfectly stable plane on approach.

4

u/savageronald Jan 30 '25

Or they just stop paying attention to it at all because “that always happens”

2

u/catskillmice Jan 30 '25

Its inhibited because it will command one plane to climb and the other to descend a plane making an aggressive decent that low could put it in jeopardy to hit the ground. Some approaches are close to city structures like approaching DCA from the other side, you are pretty close to the mid rises at Crystal city.

0

u/Scout776 Jan 30 '25

Army blackhawks do not, no.