Obsolete air traffic control system a root cause of D.C. air collision? Former House Transportation Committee Chair John Luigi Mica speaks out and I agree with him on this issue.Our former Congressman from St. Johns County, John Luigi Mica, was House Transportation Committee Chair. On this occasion, I do agree with him about the obsolete air traffic control system. Mr. Mica urged a space-based ATC system, which would have saved lives. Thank you, John Mica, for speaking out!
Florida aviation experts weigh in on DC air tragedy
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. —
A collision between a military helicopter and a civilian aircraft near Reagan Airport in Washington, D.C., has prompted a thorough investigation by both military and civilian authorities.
"Of course, I'm shocked, just like the rest of the nation, shocked that something like this could have happened," said Dr. Michael McCormick, an aviation expert.
Aviation experts said, right away, the flight data recorders, so-called "black boxes" on every aircraft, will be examined, along with the cockpit voice recorders, to understand the minutes and seconds leading up to the collision.
Then comes interviews with the air traffic controllers who were directing the pilots.
Because crashes involving commercial and military aircraft are rare, two separate investigations will be conducted: one by the National Transportation Safety Board, with the assistance of the Federal Aviation Administration, and one by the U.S. Army.
While they are expected to work collaboratively to examine the wreckage and the records of pilot and controller experience, military protocols may slow the flow of information from the Pentagon.
Anthony Brickhouse is an aviation expert with 28 years of experience.
“The military report will probably come out within about a month, about 30 days, and unfortunately, that will be a privileged report, and the public will not get to see that," Brickhouse said. "On the NTSB side of the house, their preliminary report will typically come out within two weeks and should include a lot of data.”
Local former congressman, Republican John Mica, is the former U.S. House Transportation Committee chair and served for years on the aviation subcommittee.
He told WESH that one factor in the crash might have been an outdated air traffic control system.
"Unfortunately, the horrible Washington air disaster might have been avoided if we had implemented a space-based air traffic control system, which I advocated more than a decade ago,” Mica said.
The FAA said so-called "NextGen capabilities are now integrated throughout the U.S. National Airspace System" to try and prevent crashes.
But it’s a hybrid of satellite tracking and legacy, or traditional air tracking systems that have existed for over 70 years.
McCormick pushed back on Mica’s claim that a fully space-based system is needed, saying with the vast number of low-tech small aircraft, the older legacy system must remain.
McCormick believes the best technology would not have made a difference here.
“It would not have prevented this unfortunate event,” McCormick said.