CONTINUES, PITTSBURGH’S ACTION NEWS FOUR REPORTER AVA RASH CONTINUES OUR TEAM COVERAGE. SPEAKING TO A RETIRED FAA DIRECTOR OF ACCIDENT INVESTIGATIONS ABOUT THE TRAGEDY IN DC. PATRICK HEMPEN, THE NOW RETIRED FAA DIRECTOR OF AVIATION ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION, SAYS IT TAKES SEVERAL FAILURES FOR A COLLISION LIKE THIS TO HAPPEN, AND IT MAY TAKE SOME TIME FOR US TO ACTUALLY GET SOME ANSWERS. SO VERY SELDOM DOES ONE THING CAUSE A MAJOR ACCIDENT LIKE THIS. SEVERAL FAILURES HAD TO OCCUR, AND THAT’S WHY WE SAY THE HOLES IN THE SWISS CHEESE ACTUALLY LINED UP. PATRICK HEMPEN, WORKING FOR 20 YEARS INVESTIGATING AVIATION ACCIDENTS. SOME OF HIS TEAM ON THE GROUND IN DC RIGHT NOW, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW AN AMERICAN AIRLINE, REGIONAL JET AND A BLACKHAWK HELICOPTER COLLIDED MID-AIR. RIGHT NOW. THERE ARE BRIEFING. THEY’RE ASSIGNING WORK TASKS TO THE DIFFERENT INSPECTORS. YOU LOOK AT THE MAINTENANCE, YOU LOOK AT THE OPERATIONS, YOU REVIEW THE PILOT RECORDS. OFFICIALS SAYING THERE ARE NO SURVIVORS FROM THE CRASH MAKING THE INVESTIGATION MORE DIFFICULT. WE’RE TRYING TO GET INTO THE MINDS OF PEOPLE THAT ARE NO LONGER WITH US. THERE’S NO SURVIVORS. SO ALL THE EVIDENCE WILL HAVE TO BE FROM CIRCUMSTANCES AND HARD DATA. HE SAYS THEY’LL BE LOOKING INTO SEVERAL DIFFERENT FACTORS, INCLUDING MAN, MACHINE AND ENVIRONMENT. HAVE BEEN SPECULATING AS TO WHAT MAY HAVE HAPPENED. I THINK THE AIR TRAFFIC MAY HAVE BEEN A LITTLE COMPLACENT. HE POINTED OUT THE TRAFFIC TO THE HELICOPTER, BUT HE SAYS, YOU SEE THAT RJ. WELL, AT NIGHT ALL YOU SEE IS LIGHTS. SO HE DIDN’T REALLY GIVE THE POSITION OF THE AIRCRAFT, BUT IT WILL STILL TAKE TIME TO GET THOSE ANSWERS. THE FAA WILL PROBABLY KNOW WHAT HAPPENED IN THREE DAYS, BUT WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH ALL THE LEGAL CHANNELS AND MAKING SURE THAT WE’RE NOT GETTING OUT AHEAD OF ANYONE. AND SO SO THE GOOD NEWS IS, IF THERE’S SOMETHING THAT NEEDS FIXING NOW, THOSE WILL GO INTO EFFECT PRETTY QUICKLY.
Retired Director of Aviation Accident investigations for the FAA gives insight on DC plane crash
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Updated: 12:30 PM CST Jan 30, 2025
Patrick Hempen, the now-retired Federal Aviation Administration director of aviation accident investigations, gave some insight on what may have caused an American Airlines regional jet and Black Hawk helicopter to collide midair Wednesday. He said several failures have to happen for a collision like this to occur."Very seldom does one thing cause a major accident like this. Several failures had to occur. And that's why we say the holes in the Swiss cheese have to line up," he said. Hempen worked for 20 years investigating aviation accidents. Some of his team were on the ground in Washington, D.C., trying to figure out how the jet and helicopter collided midair."Right now, they're briefing. They're assigning work tasks to the different inspectors. You look at the maintenance, you look at the operations, you review the pilot records," he said. Officials said there are no survivors from the crash, which makes the investigation difficult."We're trying to get into the minds of people that are no longer with us, there's no survivors. So all the evidence will have to be from circumstances and hard data," he said. Hempen said investigators will be looking into several different factors, including man, machine, and environment. Hempen speculated as to what may have happened."The helicopters fly up and down that corridor. They do this all day, every day. And so I think the air traffic may have been a little complacent. He pointed out the traffic to the helicopter, but he says, 'You see that RJ?' Well, at night, all you see is lights," he said. He said it will take some time to get answers."The FAA will probably know what happened in three days, but we have to go through all the legal channels and making sure that we're not getting out ahead of anyone. And, so, the good news is, if there's something that needs fixing now, those will go into effect pretty quickly," he said.
Patrick Hempen, the now-retired Federal Aviation Administration director of aviation accident investigations, gave some insight on what may have caused an midair Wednesday.
He said several failures have to happen for a collision like this to occur.
"Very seldom does one thing cause a major accident like this. Several failures had to occur. And that's why we say the holes in the Swiss cheese have to line up," he said.
Hempen worked for 20 years investigating aviation accidents. Some of his team were on the ground in Washington, D.C., trying to figure out how the jet and helicopter collided midair.
"Right now, they're briefing. They're assigning work tasks to the different inspectors. You look at the maintenance, you look at the operations, you review the pilot records," he said.
Officials said there are no survivors from the crash, which makes the investigation difficult.
"We're trying to get into the minds of people that are no longer with us, there's no survivors. So all the evidence will have to be from circumstances and hard data," he said.
Hempen said investigators will be looking into several different factors, including man, machine, and environment. Hempen speculated as to what may have happened.
"The helicopters fly up and down that corridor. They do this all day, every day. And so I think the air traffic may have been a little complacent. He pointed out the traffic to the helicopter, but he says, 'You see that RJ?' Well, at night, all you see is lights," he said.
He said it will take some time to get answers.
"The FAA will probably know what happened in three days, but we have to go through all the legal channels and making sure that we're not getting out ahead of anyone. And, so, the good news is, if there's something that needs fixing now, those will go into effect pretty quickly," he said.
