Desde el accidente en Filadelfia de un Learjet 55 que transportaba a una niña a México, hasta la colisión en pleno vuelo de un helicóptero Blackhawk del ejército con un avión de American Airlines sobre Washington, ha sido la semana más mortífera en la aviación estadounidense desde 2001.

Washington

A regional jet carrying 64 people collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter while on approach to Reagan National Airport near Washington, DC.

D.C. Crash

The recent incidents in U.S. aviation have marked the deadliest period since November 2001. Notable among them was a Learjet 55 crash soon after taking off from Philadelphia, resulting in a tragedy involving five onboard fatalities and one casualty on the ground. The small medical jet was returning a young girl, after receiving treatment at Shriners Hospital, to her home in Mexico when it descended steeply and collided with a bustling section of the city, causing destruction to vehicles and igniting fires in buildings.

Furthermore, a separate mid-air collision involved an Army Blackhawk helicopter and an American Airlines jet over the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., resulting in 67 deaths. The helicopter was reported to be at a higher altitude than permitted, and it remains uncertain whether the air traffic controller had accurate altitude data at that crucial moment. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is actively investigating the incident, with questions surrounding the sufficiency of air traffic control staffing levels and potential misidentifications of aircraft.

This tragic sequence of events has raised safety concerns among the U.S. public. However, experts, including former acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolan, assert that flying remains safe. They emphasize the resilience and robustness of the aviation system, with 13 billion passengers flying successfully over a span of 16 years. As investigations continue, there's a collective drive to comprehend these incidents and prevent future occurrences.



La semana más mortífera en la aviación estadounidense desde 2001

Pasamos ahora a una semana terrible para la aviación estadounidense, empezando por el accidente del miércoles entre un avión de American Airlines y un helicóptero del Ejército. Luego, el accidente de avioneta del viernes en Filadelfia. Aquí está Chris Van Cleave. Cayó como un misil. La explosión rompió el silencio de un viernes por la noche. Un pequeño avión médico que transportaba a una niña que acababa de terminar su tratamiento en el Hospital Shriners de Filadelfia y se dirigía a su casa en México cuando algo salió mal justo después del despegue. También iban a bordo dos pilotos, dos médicos y un familiar. Al menos una persona en tierra murió. Salió de las nubes yendo en picado y en el segundo en que atravesó las nubes probablemente sólo pasó otro segundo antes de chocar contra el suelo. El Learjet 55 se estrelló en una concurrida zona de la ciudad, destruyendo coches e incendiando edificios. Un horrible final para la semana más mortífera de la aviación americana en décadas. Da miedo pensar que tal vez volar no sea lo mejor en estos momentos. Sacudiendo a una nación ya conmocionada en busca de respuestas tras la colisión en pleno vuelo del miércoles. Un helicóptero Black Hawk del Ejército colisiona con un jet regional de American Airlines sobre el helado río Potomac en la capital de la nación. 67 personas murieron a pocos metros de la pista de aterrizaje. Parece que ocurrió a unos 325 pies de altura, más de lo que se suponía que debía estar el helicóptero. Los investigadores dicen que están trabajando para entender si el controlador tenía información precisa sobre la altitud del helicóptero momentos antes del accidente. El miércoles por la noche había cinco personas en la Torre Nacional Reagan de Washington. El controlador que se ocupaba del tráfico de helicópteros estaba haciendo un segundo trabajo supervisando los despegues y aterrizajes de algunos aviones de pasajeros. A nivel nacional, el 90% de las torres de control aéreo suelen carecer de personal suficiente. Además, la tripulación del helicóptero indicó que tenían el avión de pasajeros a la vista, pero ¿estaban viendo un avión diferente? Todd Inman dirige la investigación de la NTSB. Hay un deseo real de obtener respuestas para estas personas. Esto no debería ocurrir. Desgraciadamente es una tragedia, pero de esto aprenderemos. Es una de las razones por las que hace tanto tiempo que no tenemos otro accidente. Una semana que puso fin a un periodo sin precedentes de seguridad aérea en Estados Unidos deja una pregunta importante. Una que planteamos al ex administrador en funciones de la FAA, Billy Nolan. ¿Estamos menos seguros subiendo a un avión hoy que hace una semana? No lo estamos. Nuestro sistema está diseñado en torno a la solidez y la resistencia. En los últimos 16 años, más de 13.000 millones de personas se han subido a un avión. Eso es casi el doble de la población del planeta. Sólo puedes hacer eso si tienes un sistema que sea seguro. Laboratorio de Propulsión a Chorro de la NASA, Instituto Tecnológico de California

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Jerusalem

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Pyongyang

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Stockholm

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D.C. Crash