Crash Investigation: Night Vision Goggles May Have Played a Role in Helicopter Pilot Error

The pilots of a U.S. Army helicopter that collided with a passenger jet over Washington in January would've had difficulty spotting the plane while wearing night vision goggles, experts told the National Transportation Safety Board on Friday.

The Army goggles would have made it difficult to see the plane's colored lights, which might have helped the Black Hawk determine the plane's direction. The goggles also limited the pilots' peripheral vision as they flew near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Experts said another challenge that evening was distinguishing the plane from lights on the ground while the two aircraft were on a collision course. Plus, the helicopter pilots may not have known where to look for a plane that was landing on a secondary runway that most planes didn't use.

"Knowing where to look. That's key," said Stephen Casner, an expert in human factors who used to work at NASA.

Two previous days of testimony underscored a number of factors that likely contributed to the collision, sparking Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy to urge the Federal Aviation Administration to "do better" as she pointed to warnings the agency had ignored years earlier.

Some of the major issues that have emerged so far include the Black Hawk helicopter flying above prescribed levels near the airport as well as the warnings to FAA officials for years about the hazards related to the heavy chopper traffic there.

"Significant frustration" exists between what's actually occurring and what's being said for public consumption, said Board member Todd Inman.

Frank McIntosh, the head of the FAA's air traffic control organization, acknowledged problems with the culture in the tower at Reagan National, despite past efforts to improve compliance with safety standards.

"I think there were some things that we missed, to be quite honest with you, not intentionally, but I was talking about how certain facilities can drift," McIntosh said.

Tim Lilley, an aviation expert whose son Sam was a pilot on the passenger jet, said he's optimistic the tragic accident will ultimately lead to some positive changes.

"But we've got a long way to go," he told The Associated Press.

Nick Fuller, the FAA's acting deputy chief operating officer of operations, testified that the controllers weren't tested because the agency did not immediately believe the crash was fatal. The FAA then decided to forgo it because the optimum two-hour window had passed.

Jeff Guzzetti, a former NTSB and FAA crash investigator, said a combination of factors produced this tragedy, like "holes that line up in the Swiss cheese."

Mary Schiavo, a former U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General, faulted both the Army and the FAA for their roles in the accident.