"I guarantee it was basically pilot error," an active duty Army helicopter pilot, who did not want to be identified, tells PEOPLE.
The pilot, who is not on the team investigating the crash but has investigated other helicopter collisions in the past, explained: "The Black Hawk accepted responsibility for the separation of traffic. That means, they would monitor and address the flight paths themselves. The Black Hawk asked for 'visual separation,' meaning, 'We got this.' "
"That took [the responsibility] off Air Traffic Control's shoulders," the pilot explained.
The pilot said that when this happens, the control tower leaves it up to the aircraft to decide how to proceed, "knowing you've got it."
"When that happens, the tower is now consumed with whatever the priorities are — the next alligator closest to the canoe," he added.
The pilot notes that the tower asked the Black Hawk helicopter if they saw the American Airlines aircraft, a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet nicknamed "RJ." Though the pilot points out that the Black Hawk, a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter, did confirm it saw the passenger plane, he adds, "We believe they were looking at the wrong plane. They were not looking at the RJ." (According to audio obtained by the
Associated Press, an air traffic controller asked the helicopter
if it had the landing plane in sight, later adding after no response: “PAT 25 pass behind the CRJ.”)
Laurie Garrow, a professor and director of the Air Transportation Lab at Georgia Tech, agrees.
"It does appear that [the Black Hawk pilot] thought he had sight on the aircraft, but there were multiple aircraft in the area. And it may be that he had sight on a different aircraft. So I don't think he was aware that he was in the flight path of this American Eagles flight or maneuvered to avoid a different one," she surmised.
Garrow described the airspace above D.C. as "lanes in the sky that you need to stay [in]."
"In DC, those lanes are very narrow because we have a lot of buildings that are close by the airport. So when you take off, you have to climb at a certain altitude or do some very quick turns to be able to avoid the tall buildings and also sensitive areas," she explained. "You can't fly over the White House, can't fly over memorials and malls. So it's very common that aircraft are going on the Potomac, but that probably also creates more congestion and things to manage, particularly if you're mixing commercial and military operations."
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