KRIS VAN CLEAVE:
00:00:25
Almost a year to the day after this haunting moment in the skies near the nation's capital, the NTSB blamed the accident on systemic failures within air traffic control, Army aviation, and the FAA, starting with the decision to allow helicopters to fly so close to the runway. And I'm sorry for you because the pages of these reports are written in your family members' blood.
KRIS VAN CLEAVE:
00:00:48
This new NTSB animation shows how difficult it likely was for the pilots to see the other aircraft that night. Wearing night vision goggles, the helicopter pilots could only see what's in green. The safety board believes they never saw the airliner, whose pilots may have seen the chopper just two seconds before impact. The night of the crash, the air traffic controller in DCA's tower reported feeling overwhelmed doing two jobs, according to investigators, juggling up to a dozen airplanes and helicopters at the time. The controller did receive a conflict alert for the two aircraft but didn't alert the crews they were on a potential collision course. The safety board also found close calls were a longstanding issue in the busy airspace near Washington, but recommendations to move the helicopter routing were rejected by the FAA.
REPORTER:
00:01:37
Is the FAA falling down on safety? Is the FAA falling down on safety? I would say that they did fall down on safety.
KRIS VAN CLEAVE:
00:01:46
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy. We should be angry because for years, no one listened. This was preventable. This was 100% preventable.
KRIS VAN CLEAVE:
00:01:58
Doug Lane's wife and son were among the 67 killed in the crash. Do you feel like the FAA failed you and your family? Yeah, 100%, I feel like the FAA failed me and my family. And as part of this final report, the NTSB is making 48 safety recommendations, most of them aimed at the FAA. The FAA says safety is its top priority, points to changes it has already made after this crash, but also pledges to diligently review these new recommendations.
