Was “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” the REAL cause of Washington D.C. Catastrophic Air Collision?
Updated January, 31 2025; 10:25 AM.
Make no mistake, the fatal airline and black hawk helicopter crash that occurred on Wednesday evening, January 29, 2025 at 8:48 PM, where 67 people were killed was the result of consecutive failures in following safe avaition practices. These failures lined up like dominoes to create a perfect storm to aid in the catastrophe.
First, the black hawk helicopter was traveling at an unsafe altitude of 350 feet in air space that was probably restricted for air traffic landing and taking off at Reagan Airport. It has been reported that the helicopter should have been traveling at 100 feet. In addition, there was only one air traffic controller on duty that evening, the second controller was relieved of duty due to “less air traffic that particular evening.”
After several near misses at Reagan Airport, authorities ignored these events and the industry lobbied to have additional flights added to service those individuals in the U.S. government and provide more convenient means of air transportation in and out of Washington D.C. Reagan Airport is not like other airports. It has shorter runways, is surrounded by waters of the Potomic on three sides, and is much more difficult to maneuver. Therefore, pilots flying in and out of this airport require a different kind of training. In addition, it is unknown what kind of communication exists between the military departments and the airport staff as to when and where additional military planes and helicopters will be planning to fly. The pilot of the black hawk helicopter was wearing night vision goggles which made it much more difficult to see the oncoming plane. These events all contributed to the fatalities that were sustained on Wednesday night.
Individuals should be careful about who they blame for this catastrophe. It sounds like mistakes were made by the military helicopter, the owners of the airport, and the air authorities who oversee FAA incidents who ignored past near misses and collisions while adding more flights to service those in the government. The Kansas flight, to and from Washington D.C., had only been in service for about a year. Reagan National Airport is one of two airports owned by the federal government granting the federal government unique authority over its operations. The increased flight measures “maximized the personal convenience of a comparatively small number of powerful, well-connected individuals at the expense of safety and efficiency which should be an airports number one priority.”
Sources:
Brewster, Freddy; Parshley, Louis; Sirota, David. “Before D.C. Airport Collision, Lawmakers Brushed Off Warnings And Boosted Flights.” The Lever News. Published December, 29, 2025.
