JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
The National Transportation Safety Board began a three-day hearing today on the midair collision between an American Airlines regional jet and an Army helicopter near Washington, D.C., back in January. All 67 people aboard both aircraft died, and it was the worst U.S. aviation accident in more than two decades. NPR's Joe Hernandez has been covering this. He's at the hearing and joins us now. Hi.
JOE HERNANDEZ, BYLINE: Hi.
SUMMERS: Joe, just start by telling us what's been happening at this hearing today.
HERNANDEZ: Yeah, so NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy opened the hearing offering condolences to families. And there were many family members and loved ones here wearing photos of the victims around their necks. The NTSB also showed a reenactment of the accident and played some radio transmissions from air traffic control, the helicopter pilots and the airplane pilots, as well. The afternoon has been focused on the kind of crowded airspace around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, which is also known as DCA. But this morning focused largely on altimeters and the altitude discrepancy that was noted in this case.
SUMMERS: Right. And I know that there is a question about why these two aircraft were at the same altitude. Have investigators given any answers about that?
HERNANDEZ: So the helicopter wasn't supposed to be flying above 200 feet on this route along the Potomac River. The collision occurred at 278 feet. The NTSB previously said the Army pilots may not have been seeing the correct altitude on their barometric altimeters, and that was kind of expanded upon in this hearing. Barometric altimeters use air pressure to determine altitude, but they have a margin of error. One Army pilot said a 100-foot discrepancy in that wouldn't necessarily be a cause for alarm. The NTSB members pressed the Army on that. And Scott Rosengren, with the Army, said, you know, he basically understands that, that he talked to some colleagues in the Army, and they told him there are limits to what these barometric altimeters can do.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
SCOTT ROSENGREN: There's nothing anyone can do when we have these machines that provide this data. And so we have to understand there are physical limitations to that, which is - offhand - plus or minus a hundred feet.
HERNANDEZ: So Rosengren said the Army may send out an alert to pilots who fly these helicopters or even update the flight manual in light of this issue.
SUMMERS: I understand that you also spoke to an attorney representing some of the families of those victims of this crash. What did he have to say?
HERNANDEZ: Yeah, I talked to Robert Clifford. He represents about a dozen families of crash victims. And he said there are rules about when you can sue the federal government, so he hasn't yet, but the families do intend to file suit over this collision. He said they want the Federal Aviation Administration and the Army to be held accountable for this crash, and he thinks the NTSB investigation is a positive step towards that.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
ROBERT CLIFFORD: The families are here for answers. They want accountability. You know, justice for these families translates into accountability, and they're hearing it now. Kudos to the NTSB chairman, who is doing a very good job in the eyes of most of the families and lawyers, of trying to get to the bottom of what occurred here.
HERNANDEZ: And Clifford said he thinks there's also a possible case against the airlines, that there have been too many near misses at this airport for a long time.
SUMMERS: Joe, what is next for this hearing?
HERNANDEZ: Well, we'll continue to hear about the DCA airspace and helicopter routes here. Thursday's hearing tomorrow will focus on collision avoidance technology and DCA air traffic control. And that's because DCA is right next to Washington, D.C. It's a complicated airspace for controllers to manage because they've got commercial traffic there, military flights and then government aircraft on top of that. And then Friday will focus on safety data and safety management systems. All of this will contribute to the NTSB's overall investigation of this crash. They're looking for a probable cause and possible safety recommendations as well, and that report is expected to be completed at some point next year.
SUMMERS: NPR's Joe Hernandez, thank you.
HERNANDEZ: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
