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What caused the DC plane crash? Blackhawk helicopter may not have heard key transmission, NTSB says
Blackhawk helicopter may not have received key transmission before crash with DCA-bound plane
The Blackhawk helicopter that crashed into the American Airlines flight preparing to land at Reagan National Airport on Jan. 29 may not have heard key instructions from the air traffic control tower as it approached the jetliner carrying 64 people on board. FOX 5 ‘s Katie Barlow has the latest update.
WASHINGTON – A miscommunication and bad data may have contributed to last month’s deadly crash near Reagan National Airport.
The Blackhawk helicopter that crashed into the American Airlines flight preparing to land at Reagan National Airport on Jan. 29 may not have heard key instructions from the air traffic control tower as it approached the jetliner carrying 64 people on board, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
“The instruction was to pass behind the CRJ. That transmission was interrupted — it was stepped on. We do not have evidence on the cvr of the Blackhawk they may have not received the “pass the behind the,’” said NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy.
The revelation came as the NTSB provided an update on the investigation into the crash Friday afternoon. Officials say they have now wrapped up the on-scene portion of their investigation.
NTSB also said approximately 20 seconds before the collision, the plane’s collision avoidance system issued an alert but they have not yet confirmed if the system was recognizing the Blackhawk in that alert.
The NTSB says they will continue their investigation and move the wreckage from DCA to a secure location.
Homendy also told reporters the Blackhawk’s actual altitude may have been different from what the helicopter’s flight instruments showed the crew.
“We’re confident with the radio altitude, radio altitude of the black hawk at the time of the collision that was 278 feet, but I want to caution, that does not mean that was what the black hawk crew was seeing,” Homendy said.
And as for the possibility that the black hawk pilots were looking at bad data, aviation expert Richard Levy said that “what the pilots were seeing on their altimeters would’ve been accurate if, number one, the altimeter setting is set correctly, and number two, it has passed certification tests. Then it would be rare for it to be inaccurate.”
One other thing that came up during Friday’s press conference, the NTSB says they believe the helicopter crew was wearing night vision goggles. Levy said this would be a challenging environment for that and that the goggles can impact your peripheral vision.
Deadly DCA plane crash
The backstory:
Around 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 29, American Airlines Flight 5342 was inbound to Ronald Reagan National Airport at about 400 feet and a speed of about 140 mph when the plane rapidly lost altitude over the Potomac River, according to data from its radio transponder.
A few minutes before landing, air traffic controllers asked the arriving commercial jet if it could land on the shorter Runway 33 at Reagan National, and the pilots said they were able.
Controllers then cleared the plane to land on Runway 33. Flight-tracking sites showed the plane adjusting its approach to the new runway.
Less than 30 seconds before the crash, an air traffic controller asked the Black Hawk if it had the arriving plane in sight. The controller made another radio call to the helicopter moments later: “PAT 25, pass behind the CRJ.” Seconds after that, the two aircraft collided.
The plane’s transponder stopped transmitting about 2,400 feet (732 meters) short of the runway, roughly over the middle of the river.
The Source: National Transportation Safety Board
News
Ted Turner remembered fondly for hosting wet T-shirt college nights after Braves games, like a true hero
CNN founder and media mogul Ted Turner died Wednesday at 87. Well, scratch that. Those two labels don’t quite do him justice.
Let me try again: Ted Turner — the founder of CNN, a media mogul, a business tycoon, a world-renowned sailor, the creator of the superstation, the former owner of the Atlanta Braves, and a fierce supporter of wet T-shirt contests — died Wednesday at 87.
Whew. How is THAT for a list of accomplishments to take with you to the pearly gates? Did Ted leave it all out on the field, or what?
Yes, that last one is obviously why I’m here writing about Ted today. I know he was a pioneer in the TV industry. That’s his lasting legacy. But folks forget he was once the owner of the Atlanta Braves (and Hawks), and, more importantly, he used to host “wet T-shirt contests” during college nights at Braves games.
Ted Turner and Jane Fonda are pictured together in New York City circa 1990. (Robin Platzer/IMAGES/Getty Images)
That’s right. We used to be a proper country. I say it all the time, but we really did used to have it all, and we just pissed it all away. I grew up in the 1990s when Ted’s TBS “superstation” was all the rage, and I loved it to death. Some of the best days of my life.
But boy, do I wish I could go back to the 1970s and take in a Braves games and then a wet t-shirt contest. Wrong era!
Ted Turner also managed the Braves for one single day
It’s not often that both Clay Travis and Darren Rovell post about the same thing, but here we are.
This is the effect Ted Turner had on folks. People from both sides of the aisle spent yesterday remembering Turner. Some, for his efforts in the media world.
BRAVES SIDELINE REPORTER’S EFFORT TO GET WOMAN’S PHONE NUMBER SPARKS CONTENTIOUS ONLINE DEBATE
Others, of course, for his efforts in bundling Braves games and college wet t-shirt contests. And what an unreal price, too! Fifty cents for general admission to the Braves take on the Cubbies, and then you get to take in a wet t-shirt contest AND a Miller beer party?
From thisgreatgame.com:
“A crowd of 11,451, assumedly mostly male, showed up to watch the rotten Braves (13-24) take on the Chicago Cubs. Or at least that’s what they told their wives and girlfriends. But rain threatened the whole thing; for two hours, everyone sat around—interesting enough, no one left—before the first pitch finally took place.
“Somewhere around the sixth inning, the Braves announced that registration for the contest was under away, to be done in full view of the fans so they can see the pretty girls sign up; it took a while for the first woman to rev up the courage and walk to the table, but once she did, 42 others followed.”
Braves new owner Ted Turner dances with a team ball girl after the Braves ended a 13-game losing streak with an 8-7 win over the New York Mets in Atlanta on May 11. (Getty Images)
This Ted Turner was a genius. A true genius. No wonder he was so beloved. All you get nowadays are stupid “Bring Your Dog to the Ballpark” promotions and “Star Wars Night.”
In fact, just to show you how miserable this era is compared to the 70s, the Atlanta Hawks were forced to cancel their “Magic City” promotion earlier this year because the NBA found it to be inappropriate.
And we had Ted Turner hosting wet t-shirt contests on COLLEGE NIGHT after games in the 70s! Again, we had it all, and we just pissed it away.
Anyway, some of Ted’s other feats include temporarily taking over the team for one game in 1977 after firing his manager during a 16-game losing stream (they lost), and later that year loading up the entire team in a yacht so they could watch him compete in the America’s Cup trials in Rhode Island.
For me, I will always remember him for the TBS superstation. Again, that’s my childhood. Turning on a Braves game every night at 7:05 was the best. This is back before streaming, so you didn’t really have access to much. I lived in Florida, so it was either the Marlins or Braves.
Ted Turner, television executive and owner of the Atlanta Braves and Atlanta Hawks basketball team. (Getty Images)
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Unfortunately, the wet T-shirt contests did NOT make it to the 90s, which is shocking given … they were the 90s.
Oh well. Maybe it’ll come back one day soon. Although, I’m fairly certain the Braves don’t even do the full tomahawk chop anymore because the libs got fake-made about it, so I wouldn’t hold your breath.
RIP.
News
Federal Agents and Los Angeles Police Arrest 18 in Drug Raid
Federal agents and local police officers conducted several raids at homes and businesses around Los Angeles on Wednesday in a drug enforcement operation that the authorities said was targeting a network of fentanyl and methamphetamine dealers concentrated in the MacArthur Park area near downtown.
The operation resulted in 18 arrests, including two people believed to be the main source of fentanyl and methamphetamine in the park, officials said. Seven other people are being sought. A federal complaint filed Wednesday charges 25 people with possession of a controlled substance with the intent to distribute and distribution of a controlled substance.
The historic 35-acre park, which includes a lake, was once an idyllic haven amid an urban landscape in the Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles, just west of downtown. But it has been troubled in recent years by homelessness and drug and gang activity even as city officials have taken steps to address the issues.
News and police helicopters whirred overhead during an outdoor news conference next to the park as Bill Essayli, the first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, was joined by Jim McDonnell, the Los Angeles police chief, and Anthony Chrysanthis, the special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Los Angeles field office, in announcing the monthslong investigation that led to the arrests on Wednesday.
“Today’s operation is only one step taken by a handful of agencies working hard to alleviate anguish and the sense of hopelessness plaguing MacArthur Park,” Mr. Chrysanthis said.
Images captured by news helicopters showed D.E.A. agents in tactical gear raiding stores along a busy commercial corridor across the street from the park. Agents served search warrants at six businesses there, Mr. Chrysanthis said. More than 100 Los Angeles police officers participated in the operation, he added.
In court filings, prosecutors accused Mallaly Moreno-Lopez, 31, and her boyfriend, Jackson Tarfur, 28, of Los Angeles, of hand-delivering drugs to the businesses near the park for stashing and later distribution to street dealers. The authorities began their investigation in March, according to court filings.
If convicted, Ms. Moreno-Lopez and Mr. Tarfur face minimum 10-year prison sentences, officials said.
The authorities also raided the couple’s home in South Los Angeles, and the home of Yolanda Iriarte-Avila, 40, who court filings said had supplied Ms. Moreno-Lopez with methamphetamine. Officials said they had seized 40 pounds of fentanyl at Ms. Iriarte-Avila’s home in Calabasas on Wednesday.
The operation at MacArthur Park highlighted larger tensions between the federal government and California’s political leaders, whom the Trump administration has long accused of fostering lawlessness.
Last summer, the city was the scene of a federal show of force led by Gregory Bovino, the Border Patrol commander-at-large who was subsequently ousted from the agency. In July, Mr. Bovino led heavily armed immigration agents and National Guard troops in a march across the park in an operation that led to a confrontation between Mr. Bovino and Karen Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles.
At the news conference, Mr. Essayli, an ally of President Trump, was joined by Dr. Mehmet Oz, the former talk show host who now runs the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and has recently embarked on a campaign targeting hospice care fraud in the state.
Both men blamed state and local policies for the conditions at the park. Mr. Essayli opened the news conference by saying, “We’re here today because California policies have failed.”
Mayor Bass and city officials have tried in recent years to clean up the park, exploring the installation of a fence and ramping up the police presence in the area.
“As we work to change MacArthur Park so that it’s safe and clean for families, we have zero tolerance for people who deal deadly drugs and prey on the community,” Mayor Bass said in a statement. “We will continue to aggressively pursue our comprehensive strategy to restore MacArthur Park.”
The mayor, who is running for re-election, also acknowledged the operation when asked about it at a Wednesday evening mayoral debate, and pointed to her plan to hire more police officers.
News
Have you lost or are worried about losing SNAP benefits? NPR wants to hear your story
SNAP is the country’s largest anti-hunger program, serving the 1 in 8 U.S. residents who live at or just above the poverty line.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images North America
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Joe Raedle/Getty Images North America
States are starting to enforce expanded work requirements and other changes for people receiving aid from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP or food stamps.
Those newly at risk of losing the benefit include able bodied recipients aged 55-64, parents of children 14-17, veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and young people who are aging out of foster care.
The changes are part of a 20% funding cut to the program under President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act last year.
The NPR Network wants to hear from you about the threat of losing these benefits. If you’ve already lost SNAP, what does that mean for your current situation and future plans?
If you’re a state employee or work in food assistance, we’d also like to hear how you see these changes unfolding.
Fill out the form below and tell us your story. If you would be open to an NPR or member station producer contacting you for a story, please indicate that in the appropriate field. We will not use your submission in our story until we have obtained your consent to use the details that will be published.
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