Last week’s tragic collision between a Blackhawk helicopter and a civilian airliner has left many wondering how such an event could happen. As a former U.S. Army Apache pilot, I even found it complex to unpack.
To provide the most precise insight, I’ve combined key points from two experienced West Point classmates: an active Blackhawk pilot and a military and civilian pilot familiar with the exact flight pattern.
Their analysis is the most direct and unfiltered you will get from anywhere.
Blackhawk Pilot’s Perspective:
- Unlike roadways with predictable opposing traffic, aircraft move in three-dimensional space at varying angles, altitudes, and speeds, making visual acquisition difficult.
- Pilots must manage multiple factors, including airspace rules, radio communications, and environmental distractions such as the merging of ground, tower, and aircraft lighting. In critical moments, even with air traffic control (ATC) guidance, visually locating another aircraft can take several seconds—sometimes too long—to avoid a collision.
- Congested airspace, complex procedures, and multiple radio frequencies can create communication gaps. UH-60 helicopters lack a collision avoidance system and rely only on visual identification.
- Military and civilian pilots may have been on different radio frequency bands (UHF vs VHF), limiting coordination.
- Nobody knows if the Army aviators’ night vision goggles were actively in use then. If so, they would have made it even harder to see other aircraft, particularly in an urban environment.
- Helicopter operations are inherently risky, and this tragedy was not due to negligence but the challenging environment.
Airline Pilot’s Perspective:
- Washington National Airport’s airspace is highly complex, with shifting wind conditions influencing runway selection and flight paths.
- The jet’s traffic collision avoidance system may not have alerted the crew due to standard approach settings, ie: the normal alerts it gives are disabled below 1,200 feet when on approach to landing (to disable nuisance warnings that aircraft on the ground could generate – those waiting to depart, etc.)
- In high-workload phases of flight—such as landing in gusty conditions on a short runway—airline pilots must focus intensely on descent parameters and aircraft handling, leaving little capacity to scan for unexpected traffic outside their immediate path.
- It’s possible neither aircraft saw the other until it was too late.
I hope this helps you better understand what may have happened and gives you a broader appreciation for how and why an incident like this might have occurred.
I assure you that this incident will be fully investigated, and new safeguards will be implemented to prevent it from happening again. As always, aviation is the safest form of travel, so continue to fly with confidence.
Assemblyman Brian Bergen
Brian Bergen is a Republican New Jersey General Assembly member, representing the 26th legislative district since January 2024. Before this, he served the 25th district from January 2020 to January 2024. In January 2024, he was appointed as the Republican Whip.
Born July 8, 1979, Bergen graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point. From 1997 to 2008, he served in the U.S. Army as an officer, company commander, and Apache helicopter pilot, earning a Bronze Star and the Combat Action Badge for his service in Iraq.
After his military service, Bergen earned an MBA from Rutgers Business School and a master’s degree in administration of justice and security from the University of Phoenix. He also holds a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certificate in business operations improvement from Villanova University. In his professional career, he has held various roles in finance, operations management, and executive leadership and is currently the owner of A&B Stainless Valve.
