We Know What, Where, And When Of The DC Crash, The Who and Why Remain

Speculation about the crash in DC has already generated varying theories. As far back as 2023, I wrote several columns on the FAA’s incompetence, not only about its insistence on placing race and gender orientation over merit but also about its mishandling of the COVID-19 vaccine, which led to a competent pilot shortage.

In this instance, it’s obvious that incompetence was at play on the part of the Military Blackhawk, but why did it happen, and who is responsible?

In my opinion, Wayne Root, a well-known radio and television host, author, and political commentator, provided the best explanation so far. More accurately, he has been a longtime friend of someone with intimate knowledge of the helicopter and the operational procedures involved in executing its missions effectively.

Root’s friend is a retired U.S. Army Colonel who served as a Blackhawk pilot and Crew Chief. Wanting to remain anonymous, Root refers to his friend as simply Colonel Joe. Based on his years of experience, this is the Colonel’s “Executive Summary.”

*The single-greatest error in this accident was the decision to fly without a second Crew Chief on the left-hand side of the Blackhawk, who could have provided an extra set of eyes to “look out-and-up” to see the approaching American Airlines Passenger plane.

*Night Vision Goggle (NVG) flights result in a sort-of “tunnel vision” for all who wear the NVGs, and normal policy in many Army flight units is to force a full crew of 2 pilots and 2 crew chiefs for all NVG flights, so that you always have “eyes out” to both sides of the aircraft, when flying in those conditions. While not mandatory, it is the proper safety call, especially when flying in the vicinity of a busy, major airport such as Reagan Airport (DCA). No matter how competent the pilots and Crew Chiefs may be, this flight needed a second Crew Chief on the left side of the chopper.

*The front-left pilot, even if not wearing Night Vision Goggles, would still have limited visibility out the left door, and if that pilot is busy with radio calls, or referencing the map/GPS, that pilot could get consumed by work inside the cockpit, instead of looking out and around.

*Flight Unit Leadership failed to recognize the need for a second Crew Chief in the Mission Planning and Risk Assessment Process. This is where either incompetence or DEI (or both) may have come into play. This was certainly poor leadership.

*Known mistakes by the Blackhawk Flight Crew point to a lack of experience and/or competence. We’ve heard in the media that both pilots were “experienced.” This is just not true. Someone is “blowing smoke” to the media, to President Trump, and to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, to “cover their ass.” The collective level of experience of the pilots was not impressive. Their level of experience is like comparing a rookie in the NFL to a second-year player. The pilot had the experience of a second-year player, while the co-pilot was a rookie. This was NOT an experienced crew to be flying at night, near a major airport, without a second crew chief.

*Radio calls were not responded to by the Blackhawk crew, and they flew at 350 Feet above ground level (AGL), whereas reports say they were supposed to fly at 200 Feet AGL. These two mistakes alone show that the crew were not as experienced or professional as reported to President Trump, Defense Secretary Hegseth, or the media.

*The Instructor Pilot may have been too inexperienced for this “Annual Evaluation” flight, as mistakes were clearly made during the course of the flight (that are assumed to have been made by the junior pilot being evaluated). Why didn’t the Instructor Pilot notice they were flying too high and off course? That points to his lack of experience. If there had been a second Crew Chief, he could have noticed these mistakes and warned the pilots.

*The Flight Unit Commanders must share the blame, and they’re still alive! There is a 12th Aviation Battalion commander of that B Company, and I don’t know who that is, but this individual was the first leader in the chain of events for the Mission Plan and Risk Assessment to get signed off and approved. This B Company commander should be asked why they did not enforce a second Crew Chief to be on that flight.

*Accident sequences for these types of accidents begin in “Mission Planning,” when first selecting the time you will fly, where you will fly for the Annual Evaluation, and what crew members will be on the flight. Any of the Leaders in that unit’s Chain of Command could have demanded that this flight have two Crew Chiefs aboard the aircraft, due to NVG flying conditions, plus the busy airspace of Reagan airport.

*An experienced, thoughtful leader knows when to “raise the standard” and force the mission to have that second Crew Chief aboard the aircraft. This was clearly one of those moments, and both the B Company Commander and the 12th Aviation Battalion Commander failed to see through this risk problem and impose their own “Risk Reduction” to include a second Crew Chief to manage the left-hand side of the Blackhawk.

*In my opinion, even with all these mistakes that were made, a Crew Chief on the left side of the Blackhawk would still have saved them in that last 20 seconds when that American Airlines flight was approaching on the left-hand side. A Crew Chief in that seat would have warned the pilots to turn and descend immediately.

After watching the video many times, I was puzzled as to why the Blackhawk never deviated from its path to infamy. The nose-down ascent and the tunnel vision brought on by wearing night vision may explain that. The lack of another lookout on the left side of the chopper also seems extremely important.

Without Colonel Joe’s explanation, we civilians would be unaware of the need for another set of eyes on the left side of the aircraft. His description of the night vision and subsequent tunnel vision it causes also adds depth to his theory.

If the Colonel is correct, the questions of why there wasn’t a second Crew Chief on board and why relatively inexperienced people were permitted to command a night flight near an extremely busy airport remain.

Was DEI the root of the incompetence in this case? We still don’t know for sure. What we do know is that DEI hiring practices are extremely dangerous and are used by both military and civilian organizations.

For all the bleeding-heart liberals who believe quota numbers are the same as equality, consider the fact that if people are hired simply because of skin color or gender status without being qualified, it creates division, not diversity. Not to mention undeniable danger in many industries.