Love

The Essentials Newsletter, Thirty-fifth Edition

In preparing for the last several editions of this newsletter, my plan for a topic has been waylaid by events. Such is the case today, in the aftermath of the horrific mid-air collision of an American Airlines flight from Wichita with an Army Black Hawk helicopter within view of Reagan National Airport. Like everyone in the D.C.-area who did not have family or friends aboard, I am both relieved and yet heartsick for those who lost loved ones.

Stepping back, we all know the stats by now – flying a commercial airliner in the U.S. is much safer than driving a car. Until today, no one had died in a commercial airplane crash in this country since 2009, when all passengers and crew died in Buffalo, NY.  Contrastingly, according to Consumer Affairs (consumeraffairs.com):

“An average of 37,101 people died annually in car accidents from 2012 to 2022 in the U.S. Nearly 43,000 people died in car accidents in the U.S. in 2022, the most recent year for which complete data is available. That figure is up substantially from 10 years prior, representing a traffic fatality increase of 27% from 2012.”

Recognizing the comparison is not quite “apples to apples” in that not everyone who drives also flies and not everyone who flies also drives, but even with those variables, driving or riding in a car is significantly riskier than traveling in a plane. Yet the impact that these types of plane crashes have on our collective psychology can’t be denied. Everyone on board both the airplane and the helicopter perished on Wednesday night – 67 men, women, and children. The overlay of elite athletes and coaches in the figure skating community who were killed adds another element to this tragedy, but all on board, regardless of their backgrounds, are beloved.

The federal investigation will proceed and hopefully the root cause or causes will be determined so as to prevent anything similar from happening in the future. From what I have seen and heard so far, it seems as if miscommunication – or, more precisely, lack of clarity in communication – may have been a factor. When the air traffic controller directed the Black Hawk to fly in behind the commercial aircraft, it was after he had received confirmation that the helicopter pilot saw the incoming commercial jet. I think all who have heard the audio and seen the accompanying video footage suspect that the Black Hawk pilot and crew, tragically, thought he meant another aircraft in the flight path, with some now calling into question the specificity of the instructions as well as underscoring the level of congestion in the area. My brother flew F/A-18s in the Marine Corps and is now an American Airlines pilot, and this explanation resonates with him and his colleagues.

Whether this ends up being the cause, or one of several factors, this tragedy spotlights a few things: 1) the airspace near Reagan is heavily congested with both commercial and military aircraft, as noted above; 2) the amount of commercial aircraft scheduled in and out of Reagan has significantly increased in the last two decades; 3) Reagan is the primary airport for the vast majority of Members of Congress and their staff to get back-and-forth from home districts/states to D.C.; 4) Reagan is the primary airport for federal agency leaders and personnel, including Pentagon personnel, to travel on official business in North America (most international travel goes out of Dulles and BWI); and 5) the flight space congestion is compounded by a notoriously tricky flight path to land from the north and a short runway. I’m not implying that civilian lives aren’t just as important as those in government, but I am noting the shear volume of government leaders predominantly using this airport, which poses its own particular set of risks should something go awry.

These factors mean that everyone involved in flying the planes, maintaining the planes and runways, enabling the telecommunications, and directing the traffic must be on their game all the time. The very definition of critical. As such, I hope one outcome of this tragedy will be to give these incredible professionals as much room to maneuver as possible to avoid incidents – whether that means, for example, marrying the radio frequencies between the commercial and military aircraft in limited circumstances around Reagan or limiting certain military overflights when conditions or congestion warrant. Clearly, increased congestion is a factor. Maybe other technological improvements could help, like enhanced sensors that could alert pilots to take evasive action when other aircraft are too close – although layering on technology has its own challenges that must be assessed.

I am obviously not qualified to make these determinations, but rather hope and pray that those who are will make the right decisions. What I can say, unequivocally, is that I love Reagan National Airport (a.k.a. DCA) more than any other airport in the world – okay, I haven’t been to every airport in the world, but I’ve been to a lot. I love DCA so much that after 9/11, I sent a letter to my Congressman asking him to help get the airport reopened.  This was completely ridiculous for me to do because I had worked on Capitol Hill and knew my letter didn’t factor into the decision-making. However, I was so incensed by its lengthy closure that I felt I had to weigh in, even just to make myself feel better. I’ve never sent another letter to my Congressman on a policy matter, before or since.

I love DCA/Reagan because it’s super easy to navigate. Even after 9/11, I can still roll up an hour before my flight, park in the garage, and easily make it on time to my flight. I love DCA/Reagan because, depending on my seat, I can see the monuments, the Capitol and the White House on approach to landing, which makes me happy and proud. Seeing the city’s gorgeous and unique icons, I know I’m home. I love it also because, coming home after a long trip, it takes 10 minutes to get to my car or a cab after disembarking. I love DCA/Reagan because occasionally some special collaboration happens where they bring flights of military veterans to visit the city and the gate where these folks come in is patriotically decorated with music blaring.

So, it’s my hope that when the American Airlines flight from Wichita was on approach Wednesday night, the people on that flight were excited to see the monuments, maybe for the first time, or to be back home or to know it would be easy to hop off the plane and get quickly to their next destination. And I hope that the Black Hawk crew were proud to be serving their country, protecting this lovely city, and flying on a crisp winter evening.