EDITORIAL this second flight and the track being followed by the

helicopter to “cross behind” (as instructed by air traffic

The tragic mid-air collision on January 29, 2025 between a
control), it is quite likely that the helicopter crew had focused
United States Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter
on the second flight rather than the American Airlines flight
and an American Airlines CRJ-700 Light while it was on the
and were fixated on being behind the aircraft they had
final approach path to Ronald Reagan Washington National
perhaps misidentified. As both the helicopter and the
Airport, Washington DC, killing 67 people, brings out several
American Airlines flight were below 1,000 feet above ground
aspects of human factors that can result in a tragedy. In this
level, the collision avoidance system would not have sounded
case, the first was having politicians jump the gun by blaming
as it would have been inhibited below 1,000 ft. In aviation
others, even before a formal investigation began and the
parlance, this is what one calls “Press-on-itis”, or the ‘hurry
bodies were yet to be recovered from the watery grave of the
syndrome’, where once you get fixated, all other inputs cannot
Potomac river. U.S. President Donald Trump was quick to
influence your judgement. One needs a fresh and clear mind
blame former U.S. Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden
to be able to maintain situational awareness and spatial
for diluting U.S air safety standards, forgetting that it was he
orientation. Fatigue and stress have a major role in these
who held the reins in the interim four-year period. Pressures,
situations. The initial reports indicate there was only a single
opaque investigations in India One saw the same kind of
air traffic tower controller at Reagan handling the flights when,
political one-upmanship just after the air accident at
normally, two controllers are on duty. Soon after the Reagan
Mangaluru in May 2010 when the Minister of Civil Aviation,
accident, the visual media in India went on overdrive, with
Praful Patel, declared that the airport conformed to all
graphic presentations of the Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision in
standards of ICAO Annex 14, volume 1. Dutifully, the court of
India, near New Delhi, on November 12, 1996. In this
inquiry committee that was headed by a retired Air Marshal of
accident, a Kazakhstan Airlines flight from Chimkent,
the Indian Air Force, glossed over all the blatant violations of
Kazakhastan to Delhi collided with a Saudi Arabian Airlines
the Airports Authority of India, the Directorate General of Civil
Boeing 747 flight from Delhi to Dhahran, killing 349 people
Aviation (DGCA) and the airline, i.e., Air India Express, by
The pilot of the Kazakh flight was blamed for not complying
blaming only the pilot. In all the air accident reports in India,
with air traffic control clearance. What people are not aware of
one never gets detailed data from the digital flight data
was a DGCA official who was in-charge of the investigation
recorder and the cockpit voice recorder. Unlike in India, where
was removed from the investigation when he submitted his
the truth is hidden and restrictions placed on all access to
findings. It was another official who finalised the report. It is
information on the accident, photographs or data on the state
needless to say that the last nine minutes of the digital flight
of infrastructure, it is open in the rest of the world where one
data recorder of the Saudia flight was a blank. In the recent
can analyse data with vital clues that are available. There is a
crash in South Korea, in December 2024, where a passenger
big lesson to be learnt from the air accident in the U.S. The
flight landed with retracted wheels and crashed into an
radar track and the air trafic control audio tracks were openly
embankment housing the instrument landing system localiser
available and one could analyse and disseminate the facts
antenna, South Korea, like India at the time of the Mangaluru
instead of having doctored data and reports that have been
crash, had not complied with the International Civil Aviation
vetted by a bureaucrat who ensures that there is nothing
Organization (ICAO) Annex 14, Volume 1 Standard that
incriminating against the government and its agencies is
mandated that all structures in operational area shall be
published in the final report. Let us take what has been put
frangible (from January 1, 2010). Yet, ICAO gave them a
out by media sources in the U.S. What is generally known is
clean chit during the audits conducted. The Korean jet’s
that the American Airlines flight was given a runway change
digital flight data recorder was also blank for the last four
by air traffic control to accommodate a departure. The change
minutes. Incidents in Bengaluru, Tiruchi Let us not forget the
was accepted by the crew. The helicopter, PAT25 (or Priority
case of two Indigo flights, on January 7, 2022 — one bound
Air Transport) had taken off from a base nearby for a
for Kolkata, and the other for Bhubaneshwar — that were
Proficiency training flight at night and had been informed
departing from parallel runways at Bengaluru airport. The air
about the passenger flight. The air trafic controller had asked
traic controllers had cleared planes for take-o•. In the two
the helicopter crew whether he had the passenger flight in
runways at Bengaluru, one runway was to be used for take-
sight. The pilot responded by saying he was visual with the
ofs and the other for landings simultaneously. It was a narrow
plane and he was given clearance to maintain visual and pass
escape for both planes. Neither the airline nor the air traic
behind the passenger flight. This is where the human factor
control reported the matter but the incident came to light
plays a big part. The Flight was at night. Other than the
during a safety audit. The lack of situational awareness and
navigation lights and the rotating beacon, the helicopter pilot
the lack of knowledge of the pilots on the functioning of the
had no other clue to make out the type of aircraft he had
collision avoidance system were safety issues that were all
visual sighting with. His only information was based on the
swept under the carpet. On October 11, 2024, an Air India
Flight number. If one looks at the radar picture available to the
Express flight from Tiruchirappalli to Sharjah experienced
public and the information from the air trac tape recording,
hydraulic failure in one system. It circled for close to three
there was another flight which was behind the American
hours before landing. But the political class in Tamil Nadu and
Airlines flight, but approaching the main runway that the
the media went to town making a hero out of the captain who
American flight was originally approaching before the
had exhibited very poor judgement when he could have made
American crew accepted a side step to a different runway.
an overweight landing immediately. This is another example
The ‘hurry syndrome’ Did the helicopter pilot wrongly identify
of people with no knowledge of aviation passing judgements
this second flight to be the American flight when he reported
and influencing investigation agencies. The mid-air tragedy
visual to air traffic control? If one looks at the radar track of
should open the eyes of the travelling public and know that Antonyms
safety is being compromised for brownie points.
8. Dilute (as in "diluting air safety standards") means:
……………………………………………………………………….
a. Weaken b. Strengthen
Cloze Test
c. Lessen d. Intensify
The tragic mid-air collision on January 29, 2025, between a
9. Fixate means:
United States Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter
a. Focus b. Ignore
and an American Airlines CRJ-700 flight resulted in the loss of
c. Observe d. Examine
67 lives. The accident underscores the importance of human
Idioms & Phrases
factors in aviation safety. One major concern is the tendency
10. Jump the gun means:
of politicians to (1) ______ blame before a formal
a. Be cautious b. Act too soon
investigation even begins. In this case, U.S. President Donald
c. Hesitate d. Take risks
Trump quickly blamed former Presidents Barack Obama and
11. Under the carpet means:
Joe Biden for relaxing air safety standards, despite having (2)
a. Openly discussed b. Hidden from view
______ the country's aviation policies for four years. Another
c. Fixed permanently d. Taken lightly
critical factor is the role of human error. The helicopter pilot
Spotting the Error
might have (3) ______ identified the wrong aircraft while
12. The tragic mid-air collision between a helicopter and an
attempting to cross behind the American Airlines flight. This
airline flight was happened due to human error.
error is an example of "press-on-itis" or the (4) ______
a. The tragic mid-air
syndrome, where pilots fixate on a decision without
b. collision between a helicopter
considering new information. Additionally, concerns about
c. was happened due to human error.
inadequate staffing were raised, as only one air traffic
d. No error
controller was (5) ______ on duty at the time of the accident.
13. U.S. President Donald Trump blamed on his
1. a. arbitrarily b. hesitantly
predecessors for the air safety issue.
c. cautiously d. reluctantly
a. U.S. President Donald Trump
2. a. supervised b. ignored
b. blamed on his predecessors
c. criticized d. eliminated
c. for the air safety issue.
3. a. intentionally b. correctly
d. No error
c. mistakenly d. precisely
14. The pilot misidentified the wrong aircraft during the final
4. a. relaxed b. urgency
approach.
c. sleepy d. aware
a. The pilot
5. a. supposedly b. currently
b. misidentified the wrong
c. temporarily d. solely
c. aircraft during the final approach.
Vocabulary (Synonyms, Antonyms, Idioms)
d. No error
Synonyms
15. The helicopter pilot reported that he has seen the
6. Opaque means:
American Airlines flight.
a. Transparent b. Unclear
a. The helicopter pilot reported
c. Bright d. Obvious
b. that he has seen
7. Gloss over means:
c. the American Airlines flight.
a. Overlook b. Highlight
d. No error
c. Discuss d. Criticize
Cloze Test Answers
1. a. arbitrarily (Politicians tend to arbitrarily blame others
without formal investigation.)
2. b. ignored (Despite having ignored the country's aviation
policies for four years.)
3. c. mistakenly (The pilot might have mistakenly identified the
wrong aircraft.)
4. b. urgency (This error is an example of urgency syndrome,
where pilots fixate on a decision.)
5. d. solely (Only one air traffic controller was solely on duty at
the time of the accident.)
Vocabulary Answers
Synonyms
6. Opaque → b. Unclear
7. Gloss over → a. Overlook
Antonyms
8. Dilute → b. Strengthen
9. Fixate → b. Ignore
Idioms & Phrases
10. Jump the gun → b. Act too soon
11. Under the carpet → b. Hidden from view
Spotting the Error
12. Error: "was happened" → "happened"
Correction: The tragic mid-air collision between a
helicopter and an airline flight happened due to human error.
13. Error: "blamed on" → "blamed"
Correction: U.S. President Donald Trump blamed his
predecessors for the air safety issue.
14. Error: "misidentified the wrong" → "misidentified"
Correction: The pilot misidentified the aircraft during the
final approach.
15. Error: "has seen" → "had seen"
Correction: The helicopter pilot reported that he had seen
the American Airlines flight.