Air traffic controller audio captured operators warning the military helicopter that it was getting close to American Airlines Flight 5342 and directing it to pass behind the passenger plane, which would have had the right of way for the trickier landing.
“It’s such a challenging airport to land a jet airplane at your focus is really on your airspeed, your altitude, your rate of descent,” he said, adding that “the last thing you’re looking for is to see if somebody’s crossing in your path.”
Still, he insisted, “it’s totally possible to operate safely at Reagan International — I did it for 50 years, of course.”
“The last thing you’re looking for is to see if somebody’s crossing in your path,” former DC-based American Airlines pilot John Wright said, calling the airport “challenging.” REUTERS
In addition to the shorter runway, intersecting flight paths with close altitude requirements could have also played a role in the tragedy.