Ex-RAF pilot weighs in on Washington DC plane crash, says military aircraft are expected to ‘avoid’ civilian traffic

Former RAF pilot says military aircraft are expected to ‘see and avoid’ civilian traffic

“I’ve flown as a military pilot in the US and I’m somewhat familiar with the airspace around Washington DC. It’s highly congested but civilian and military traffic share one radio frequency,” Bacon, who is a former RAF pilot and broadcaster, told the outlet. At the time of the devastating crash, the PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jetliner was carrying 60 passengers and four crewmembers on board.

He explained that military aircraft enjoy more freedom in navigation when compared to civilian flights. “The military regulate themselves and pilots can choose to fly where they want and need to. In controlled airspace like this, they would still have freedom to take avoiding action, but they would be following the direction of the controller. The emphasis is that they must look – it’s known as ‘see and avoid,’” Bacon said.

As of 2:50 am ET, 19 bodies were recovered, according to CBS News. No survivors have been found so far. When asked about the radio traffic alerting the army pilot about the presence of the regional jetliner, Bacon told BBC, “It’s standard for air traffic controllers to ask simply, ‘Do you see the aircraft?’ There would be a very clear instruction – so this would be down to the pilot of the military helicopter to avoid the commercial aircraft.”

“It’s not unusual for military helicopters to be in such close proximity to commercial aircraft. Investigators will establish what’s happened and if there are lessons to be learned, there will be an amendment to the procedures,” the ex-RAF pilot added. Moments before the deadly collision, an air traffic controller was heard asking the helicopter pilot if he had the American Airlines flight “in sight,” according to CNN.