Fatal Mistake Occurred During Annual Flight Evaluation

The pilot of the U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter involved in the midair collision with a commercial airliner in January reportedly disregarded an instruction to change course in the final seconds prior to the crash.

A report citing details of radio transmissions between the helicopter and air traffic controllers (ATC) indicates that the pilot, Capt. Rebecca Lobach, was being evaluated by her copilot, CW2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, who was serving as the instructor pilot on the flight.

ATC had advised the helo of an airliner close by, and Lobach and Eaves acknowledged that info and requested visual separation, commonly used by helicopter pilots. At that point the helicopter was 15 seconds from intersecting the jet.

Eaves subsequently told Lobach he believed ATC wanted them to turn left, toward the east bank of the Potomac River. This would have provided more separation between the helicopter and the jet, which was on final approach to Runway 33 at an altitude of about 300 feet.

It is not clear why Lobach did not turn left but she failed to do so, resulting in the ensuing collision that left 67 people dead. Those included the three aboard the Black Hawk along with 60 passengers and 4 crew members in the airliner, operated by PSA Airlines as American Eagle Flight 5342.

Lobach was from Durham, North Carolina and had about 450 total flight hours with 326 hours in the Black Hawk. She was assigned to the 12th Aviation Battalion in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. She had been awarded the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal and the Army Service Ribbon.

FMI:  www.faa.gov/