DC authorities suspect no survivors of deadly midair collision; haunting air traffic control audio released



A PSA Airlines plane operating an American Airlines flight collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter near Washington, D.C.'s Ronald Reagan National Airport on Wednesday evening. After generating a large fireball over the Potomac River, the remains of both aircraft dropped into the frigid waters.

As authorities do not expect to find any survivors amid the ice and debris, rescue efforts have given way to recovery efforts.

The Federal Aviation Administration, which has launched a joint investigation into the deadly incident with the National Transportation Safety Board, confirmed that American Eagle Flight 5342 en route from Wichita, Kansas, a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet, collided midair with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while on approach to runway 33 at the airport just before 8:50 p.m. local time.

There were 60 passengers and four crew members on board Flight 5342. Three service members were aboard the helicopter, which the Pentagon indicated was out of Ford Belvoir, Virginia.

'Tower, did you see that?'

Flight surveillance data indicated that the helicopter, apparently on a training flight, was heading south along the District side of the river prior to the collision, reported the Washington Post. The plane was several hundred feet above the water when it came into contact with the Army helicopter.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy indicated during a press conference Thursday morning that the helicopter and the plane were both in a "standard flight pattern" and that based on what he has seen so far, the collision was "absolutely" preventable.

Air traffic control audio has emerged capturing the final communications between the tower and the doomed helicopter as well as observers' reactions in the immediate aftermath.

In one clip released on LiveATC.net, a repository of of air traffic audio recordings, an air traffic controller can be heard saying around the 17:30-minute mark, "PAT25, do you have CRJ in sight? PAT25, pass behind the CRJ."

The aviator in another aircraft can be heard chiming in moments later, "Tower, did you see that?"

An air traffic controller proceeded to direct planes to circumnavigate runway 33.

'This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented.'

At the time of the collision, one air traffic controller can reportedly be heard in a recording saying, "Crash, crash, crash, this is an alert three."

In another clip, an air traffic controller states, "Both the helicopter and the plane crashed into the river. It's east of the approach end of runway 33," later adding, "All runways are closed. Nobody's landing. No one is moving at all."

"I just saw a fireball, and then it was just gone," continued the air traffic controller. "I haven't seen anything since they hit the river, but it was a CRJ and a helicopter that hit. I would say maybe a half-mile off the approach end of 33."

"We are now at a point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation," D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said at the Thursday press conference. "We don't believe there are any survivors from this accident."

Donnelly noted that the bodies of 27 people from the plane and one person from the helicopter have been recovered so far.

U.S. Figure Skating told the Post that several members of its skating community were aboard the commercial airliner when it crashed. The likely victims, including athletes, coaches, and family members, were on their way home from the National Development Camp held in Wichita in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

"We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims' families closely in our hearts," said the statement.

President Donald Trump responded to the crash just after midnight, suggesting that something about the incident did not compute.

"The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport. The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time. It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn't the helicopter go up or down, or turn[?]" the president wrote on Truth Social. "Why didn't the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane[?] This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!"

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One Of Joe Biden’s Last Acts In Office Laced With Cruel Irony

Great legacies to honor!

US Navy apparently shot down own plane over Red Sea



The U.S. Navy apparently shot down one of its own two-seat F/A-18F Super Hornets over the Red Sea on Sunday around 3 a.m. local time. Although one of the pilots was injured, U.S. Central Command indicated that both were safely rescued.

CENTCOM did not provide an indication of the American F/A-18's mission prior to being shot down; however, U.S. forces in the area have recently been conducting airstrikes against Iran-backed Houthi militants and their facilities in Yemen as well as taking out ISIS targets in Syria.

Over the weekend, U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy assets reportedly shot down multiple Houthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile and also conducted strikes against a missile storage facility and a command-and-control facility in Sana'a, Yemen. Days earlier, CENTCOM whacked ISIS leader Abu Yusif aka Mahmud via a precision airstrike in the Dayr az Zawr province.

A Navy official told U.S Naval Institute News that the downed F-18 was assigned to Carrier Air Wing One and embarked aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, which entered the CENTCOM area of responsibility on Dec. 14.

'Another indicator of how pathetic a state of readiness our military is in.'

USNI indicated that the crew are most likely with the Red Rippers of Strike Fighter Squadron 11 from Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia.

The strike group, part of Operation Prosperity Guardian, is presently focused on razing Houthi military installations and protecting merchant traffic and American vessels in the southern Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb, and Gulf of Aden from attack.

CENTCOM said in a statement that the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, commanded by Alaska native Captain Justin Hodges, "mistakenly fired on and hit the F/A-18" fighter craft that was flying off the USS Harry S. Truman, confirming that "this incident was not the result of hostile fire."

The Associated Press suggested that earlier Houthi drone and missile attacks may have been responsible for the confusion that led to the alleged friendly fire.

Yahya Saree, a spokesman for the Houhi militants, claimed without evidence that Houthis shot down the F/A-18.

Retired Army Col. Douglas Macgregor noted, "Yes, we shot down our own plane. If this doesn't put a cap on the worst Presidency of modern history, I'm not sure what does."

"This is another indicator of how pathetic a state of readiness our military is in, especially our U.S. Navy," tweeted retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn.

According to a 2024 Government Accountability Office report, "47 of the 49 aircraft we reviewed did not meet DOD's mission capable goals." A previous GAO report noted that between 2011 and 2021, the Navy and Marine Corps F/A-18 jets under review almost always failed to meet their mission capable goal.

The Heritage Foundation concluded in its 2024 index of military strength that "as currently postured, the U.S. military is at significant risk of not being able to defend America's vital national interests."

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'Wow': Biden-Harris DOD bungles Veterans Day commemoration with mind-boggling error



Keen observers noticed something amiss about a Biden-Harris Department of Defense social media post Monday commemorating Veterans Day.

In a now-deleted post on Instagram and X, the F-35 Lightning II Joint Program Office — whose very existence centers on the F-35 fighter jet — shared an image of an aircraft with the caption, "Today, and every day, we thank all Veterans and those currently serving for their service and sacrifice."

The trouble with the F-35 JPO's post was not the wording but rather the image. Not only was the aircraft pictured not American, it belongs to an adversarial, communist nation that some living veterans commemorated on Monday fought against in Korea.

Military.com noted that instead of the F-35's single Pratt & Whitney F135 turbofan engine, the vehicle depicted in the post had twin engines. On closer examination, it appears as though the F-35 JPO actually posted an image of communist China's J-35 stealth fighter aircraft, the People's Liberation Army Air Force's F-35 knockoff.

'You can't make this stuff up.'

The backlash was immediate.

Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) wrote, "WTAF?"

"Biden Administration: showcasing Chinese military equipment on Veterans Day," wrote Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah).

One commentator on Instagram noted, "'Mom I want an F-35 from the JPO!' 'no son, we have F-35s at home!' *the F-36s at home*"

"Embarrassing," wrote another user. "Please take this down. We don't want a Chinese J-35 supported by our F-35 JPO office."

Conservative filmmaker Robby Starbuck tweeted, "You can't make this stuff up. Wow."

Former Salomon Brothers and Citigroup investment banker John LeFevre wrote, "China stole the IP for the F-35 and then mocked us by naming theirs the J-35. Today, the Biden administration celebrated Veteran's Day by posting a picture of the Chinese knockoff."

The F-35 JPO, which touts itself as the "DoD's focal point for defining next gen strike aircraft weapons systems," deleted the post, then shared images and video of real F-35 jets.

Blaze News has reached out to the F-35 JPO for comment.

While embarrassing, the F-35 JPO's blunder was not the first time the Biden-Harris DOD evidenced difficulty discerning friend from foe.

Stars and Stripes reported that the U.S. Pacific Fleet tweeted then deleted a Fourth of July message last year depicting a service member saluting silhouettes of a Russian Kashin-class destroyer and Russian Sukhoi-27 fighter jets.

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service similarly mistook an adversary's ship for its own, celebrating the U.S. Navy's 246th birthday in 2021 with an image of a Russian Kirov-class battle cruiser.

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Drones Are Swarming U.S. Military Bases, And Our Incompetent Bureaucracy Won’t Do Anything About It

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‘Sticking It To Your Employees’: Josh Hawley Tells Boeing CEO Point-Blank It’s A ‘Travesty’ That He Still Has His Job

'You’re strip-mining it, you’re strip-mining Boeing'

United Airlines Boeing aircraft found to be missing external panel



An external panel was found to be missing on an aircraft after it arrived in Medford, Oregon, according to United Airlines.

"This afternoon, United flight 433 landed safely at its scheduled destination at Rogue Valley International/Medford Airport. After the aircraft was parked at the gate, it was discovered to be missing an external panel. We'll conduct a thorough examination of the plane and perform all the needed repairs before it returns to service. We'll also conduct an investigation to better understand how this damage occurred," the airline noted in a statement, according to nbcbayarea.com.

The outlet reported that United noted that there had been 139 passengers and six crewmembers aboard the aircraft.

The flight had traveled to Medford, Oregon, from San Francisco, California, according to FlightAware.

The aircraft is a Boeing 737-824, according to airport director Amber Judd, Rogue Valley Times reported.

The outlet reported that based on the plane's N-number, the airplane had been delivered to Continental Airlines December 22, 1998. The aircraft has been operated by United since November 30, 2011, according to the outlet.

Earlier this year, "a left mid-cabin door plug blew out of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 on January 5 while in flight," according to the FAA. That incident also involved a Boeing aircraft.

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Chaos ensues after airline passenger forces open plane door mid-flight: 'I thought the plane was going to explode'



A passenger aboard an Asiana Airlines flight from Jeju Island to the South Korean city of Daegu was apparently in a rush to deplane, opening the door just minutes before landing.

A 33-year-old male seated next to an emergency exit reportedly forced open the door on an Airbus A321-200, which was carrying 194 souls including 48 primary and middle school children on their way to a sporting event.

When the door was opened, the plane was roughly 700 feet off the ground and traveling about 170 mph, reported Reuters.

Baek Hyunwoo, a spokesman for the airline, indicated the feat would normally be impossible owing to the difference in air pressure inside and outside the cabin; however, at the lower altitude, there was only a slight difference in air pressure.

Since the plane was descending, the flight attendants were reportedly buckled up and seated too far away to make a swift intervention.

Footage of the incident taken by another passenger shows strapped-down passengers holding on for dear life, with daylight and powerful gusts flooding the cabin.

\u201cMan arrested after opening door as plane prepared to land in South Korea, 9 people taken to hospital - Yonhap\u201d
— BNO News (@BNO News) 1685087257

Another video of the incident shows the plane door ajar and various garments flapping in the wind.

\u201cDoor of Asiana Airlines plane opens in mid-air just before landing in South Korea; 9 people taken to hospital with breathing difficulties\u201d
— BNO News (@BNO News) 1685080680

According to Sky News, some passengers suffered extreme ear pain after the door was opened.

One 44-year-old passenger told the Yonhap News Agency, "I thought the plane was going to explode. ... It looked like passengers next to the open door were fainting."

The mother of one of the schoolchildren aboard the plane said, "The children were shaking, crying, and frightened. Those sitting near the exit must have been shocked the most."

Despite the open door, the plane managed to land safely. There were no casualties.

Twelve people, all but one of whom were between the ages of 11 and 16, reportedly hyperventilated. Nine were taken to a hospital.

Kim Hyeong-su, an officer in the criminal affairs division of the Daegu Dongbu Police Station, indicated the man accused of opening the door could face charges of violating aviation security laws, reported the New York Times.

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Chinese fighter jet threatens American aircraft in international airspace, prompting evasive maneuvers



A Chinese communist fighter jet buzzed a U.S. Air Force RC-135 aircraft in international airspace last week, prompting the American spy plane to take evasive maneuvers.

What are the details?

U.S. Indo-Pacific Command issued a release on Thursday noting that a Chinese Navy J-11 fighter pilot came dangerously close to a USAF aircraft on Dec. 21 during an intercept over the South China Sea. The communist jet flew in front of and within 20 feet of the nose of the RC-135.

The interception and subsequent provocation took place while the American plane was conducting legal, routine operations in international airspace.

A similar incident took place between a Chinese fighter jet and an Australian plane in the area this past summer.

A Chinese Shenyang J-16 pulled up to an Australian P-8A Poseidon reconnaissance plane, then released flares and chaff (i.e., tiny pieces strips of aluminum or zinc used as countermeasures). According to Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles, some chaff was sucked into the Australian aircraft's engines, which could have been debilitating.

Concerning China's apparent threatening intercept last week, USINDOPACOM noted that U.S. Indo-Pacific Joint Force remains "dedicated to a free and open Indo-Pacific region and will continue to fly, sail and operate at sea and in international airspace with due regard for the safety of all vessels and aircraft under international law."

While underscoring that the apparent intimidation attempt by the Chinese pilot won't have any impact on America's resolve to exercise its international rights and flex air superiority in the region, the regional command noted that it expects all countries in the area to "use international airspace safely and in accordance with international law."

The dramatic encounter can be seen in this video:

Unsafe Intercept of U.S. aircraft RC-135 over South China Sea youtu.be

This encounter took place just days before the genocidal Chinese regime sent 47 military aircraft into the island nation of Taiwan's air defense zone on Christmas Day, reported CNN.

According to Taiwan's defense ministry, a total of 71 People's Liberation Army aircraft buzzed the island as part of a "strike drill."

Chinese dictator Xi Jinping indicated at the Chinese Communist Party's 20th National Congress that "perilous, stormy seas" were ahead. Xi further claimed that his regime seeks to conquer Taiwan, reserving "the option of taking all measures necessary" against "separatists" and "interference by outside forces."

It would appear, however, that America and its allies are similarly readying for the storm.

TheBlaze previously reported that on Dec. 16, Japan announced it would be doubling its military spending and acquiring counterstrike weaponry fit for engaging China in a shooting war.

The U.S. State Department just approved the sale of anti-tank mine-laying systems to Taiwan, similarly building up its so-called "porcupine" defenses.

Taiwan is also extending compulsory military service starting in 2024 to ensure that it has sufficient manpower to handle future Chinese aggression.

Admiral John Aquilino, commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command, told PBS earlier this month that he sees "the current strategic environment as really dangerous — the most dangerous time I have seen in 38 years."

China's "inability to operate in accordance with the rule-based order" is a destabilizing force in the region, he suggested.

Notwithstanding China's growing ambitions and incidents such as that seen on Dec. 21, Aquilino stressed, "The United States Military force in the Pacific is ready for all contingencies."

Watchdog report: Defense Department dropped the ball on US airpower — over past decade, only four of 49 aircraft met mission-capable goals



A new government watchdog report gave a damning review of the U.S. military's aerial mission capability, indicating that only four of 49 aircraft long associated with American air superiority "met their annual mission capable goal" in a majority of the years from 2011 through 2021.

Despite the Department of Defense spending tens of billions of dollars annually for a tactical advantage, the report has highlighted a deficit in the health and readiness of the American aircraft fleet at time of increased tensions with both Russia and communist China.

What's in the report?

The Government Accountability Office published a "Weapon System Sustainment" report on Nov. 10 — the public version of another report issued in September scrubbed of sensitive information by the DOD.

The GAO examined 49 aircraft and found that only four met their annual mission-capable goal over the past decade.

The mission-capable rate references the "percentage of total time when an aircraft possessed by a squadron can fly and perform at least one mission."

The report concluded that "the average mission capable rate for the selected aircraft has fallen for the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps, to varying degree." The average mission-capable rate for select Army aircraft has, however, risen.

A total of 26 aircraft failed to meet their annual mission-capable goal in any fiscal year between 2011 and 2021, including the Air Force's A-10, C-17, CV-22, F-15C/D, and F-22; the Army's AH-64D/E and CH-47F; the Navy's C-130T, C-2A, KC-130T, and MH-60S; and the Marine Corps' AH-1Z, F-35B, F/A-18A-D, and UH-1Y.

In 2021, only two aircraft met their service-established mission-capable goals, and 30 aircraft were "more than 10 percentage points below the mission capable goal."

The four aircraft that secured passing grades over the 11-fiscal-year period were the Navy's EP-3E (Aries II reconnaissance plane), the Air Force's B-2 (Spirit stealth bomber), the USAF's RC-135S-W (Cobra Ball reconnaissance plane), and the Army's UH-1N (Twin Huey helicopter).

The Navy's E-6B (Mercury, communications and strategic airborne command post plane) came close, missing the mark by one year.

Source: Government Accountability Office

The GAO indicated that "a number of sustainment challenges including aging aircraft, maintenance challenges, and supply support issues account for this decrease in mission capable rates."

The Air Force's F-16, for instance, is showing its age. The aircraft is in routine need of replacement parts that are in short supply or are no longer manufactured. There is also a shortage of trained maintenance personnel to keep the F-16 current and capable.

The operating and support (O&S) costs for the GAO-reviewed aircraft were approximately $54 billion in 2020. Since aging aircraft have required more attention, maintenance costs have increased by $1.2 billion since fiscal year 2011.

O&S costs tend to account for roughly 70% of an aircraft's total life-cycle cost and include the cost of repair parts, field maintenance, engineering support, and personnel.

While Air Force and Army O&S costs have gone down, the Navy and Marine Corps O&S costs have increased. The GAO suggested that "these trends have largely been driven by changes in the size of aircraft inventory and reduced flying hours."

Wake-up call

The GAO noted that the DOD under Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III not only failed to meet its goals last year, but that it did so in contravention of DOD policy that "the military services shall maintain all mission essential systems and equipment to the optimum mission capable status."

The GAO made clear in a February report that the U.S. faces a significant challenge in the form of an "increasingly assertive" communist China, which aims to "challenge the U.S. military across the spectrum of conventional and unconventional capabilities."

"Successful preparation for strategic competition with China will depend on continuing efforts to increase U.S. combat credibility and enhance conventional deterrence that can help prevent conflict, protect U.S. interests, and assure allies," said the report.

Extra to improving the military's average mission-capable rate, the GAO highlighted other issues the DOD might want to address, including:

  • supply chain challenges including the F-35's central logistics system;
  • Navy crew shortfalls;
  • attack submarine reliability;
  • cybersecurity;
  • satellite vulnerabilities;
  • aging nuclear systems; and
  • military readiness.
Bloomberg reported that the GAO's findings will likely be reviewed by House Republicans, who, upon officially securing their majority in the House, will take over defense policy and appropriations panels.