In the aftermath of any aviation accident, the FAA must determine what and who caused a disaster, be it mechanical or human judgment. Regarding the recent accident at Washington National airport, pilots of both aircraft had hundreds of accident-free hours. However, there was one glaring difference to me. The military helicopter pilot was being tested for efficiency and was totally controlled by an instructor pilot. That means aircraft altitude, speed and direction of flight, plus communications (radio). Add to all those distractions night vision googles, which severely limit periphery vision. Granted the military must train and test pilots, but why do that in in such a busy traffic corridor? Why not test at Andrews Joint Military Base, which receives practically no civilian traffic?
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