By Hayden Cunningham | The Post Millennial
The pilot of the Black Hawk military helicopter that collided with a passenger airplane over Washington, DC, in January ignored instructions to change course moments before the crash took place, according to a report by the New York Times.
Captain Rebecca Lobach, piloting the Black Hawk, was undergoing an annual flight evaluation at the time, while her co-pilot, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, served as the flight instructor. Air traffic controllers had warned the helicopter crew about a nearby passenger airliner, and both Lobach and Eaves acknowledged the warning, opting to proceed under “visual separation.” This is a method where pilots are allowed to continue flying in the area by using their own observations rather than adhering to instructions from air traffic control.
The report said the Black Hawk was only 15 seconds from crossing paths with the passenger jet when Eaves informed Lobach that he believed air traffic control wanted them to turn left toward the east river bank.
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