CHICAGO – It’s been months because the deadly midair collision between an American Airways regional jet and an Military Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River.
As federal investigators proceed to boost security issues about what occurred at Reagan Nationwide Airport, FOX 32 Chicago Investigates needed to search out out if an accident like that might occur right here.
What we all know:
The airspace round Reagan Nationwide Airport in Washington, D.C. is described as advanced. As we noticed again in January, that might result in a lethal catastrophe.
The identical is also stated for the airspace round O’Hare Worldwide Airport. It as soon as held the title – and remains to be thought-about one of many busiest airports on the planet. Issues are additionally removed from quiet at Chicago’s Halfway Airport.
With tons of of flights taking off and touchdown every day at every Chicago airport, public data present numerous near-midair collisions have been reported at every one during the last decade.
FOX 32 Chicago Investigates obtained the security reviews that pilots, captains, and air visitors controllers have filed during the last 10 years relating to security occasions at Halfway, in addition to the reviews filed for O’Hare for the final decade – which have been additionally filed on NASA’s Aviation Security Reporting System.
We searched these data and located seven near-midair collisions reported at Halfway and twelve at O’Hare. In a single report, a Boeing 737 and a Cessna have been inside just some hundred toes of one another. Whereas one other report from 2015 at O’Hare appeared considerably much like the deadly collision at DCA in January. It, too, concerned a helicopter.
In line with the report, a captain flying a regional jet “experiences a close to mid-air collision with a helicopter at 500 toes throughout method to Runway 10L.” It states, “The tower had alerted the crew to the helicopter’s presence, then suggested that it was no issue.”
Dig deeper:
We requested aviation security professional Henry Krakowski to try the near-miss reviews we discovered for O’Hare and Halfway. He’s a retired United Airways pilot with 30 years of expertise within the cockpit and because the firm’s “Chief Pilot” or VP of Flight Operations.
“I used to be anticipating extra reviews. That informed me basically the airspace round O’Hare, Halfway, and the Chicago space basically is fairly secure relative to midair collisions, issues like that,” Krakowski stated.
He has additionally labored for the FAA as its COO, overseeing the nation’s air visitors management system.
When Krakowski checked out our analysis, he did see a security concern.
“The opposite factor that struck me within the reviews have been the quantity of near-midair collisions with drones. Small drones,” he stated. “And what actually alarmed me is among the drones have been at greater altitudes. 8,000 toes. 10,000 toes. They shouldn’t be there with out FAA understanding about them and authorization.”
Krakowski says that’s a giant problem.
“So the risk is a collision. And should you keep in mind, a few geese introduced down an airliner to the Hudson River in New York Metropolis a couple of decade in the past. A drone can do at the very least that quantity of injury if it hits the engine or if it hits a vital part,” he stated.
Simply take a look at the wildfires from earlier this 12 months. As one firefighting plane was battling that blaze, it was hit by a drone and ended up with about $70,000 in injury.
“There’s increasingly more drones on daily basis, in order that tells me that except one thing modifications when it comes to the flexibility for air visitors to see the drones or the opposite plane to see the drone, there’s most likely going to be extra incidents,” Krakowski stated.
We additionally requested Mike Ginter on the Air Security Institute to have a look at the reviews we discovered.
“A few of the reviews you despatched us have been very shut. Fortunately they didn’t hit the airliner,” Ginter stated.
He, too, is worried concerning the excessive variety of near-midair collisions involving drone operators within the managed airspace close to O’Hare and Halfway.
“The issue we see persistently is often these midair collisions, near-midair collisions are taking place with drone operators that are not actually schooled in how the airspace system works,” Ginter stated.
He says drones should not allowed to fly in managed airspace close to large airports in Chicago or wherever else within the nation. With the tons of of hundreds of drones being bought, he says that provides as much as an training drawback – one that may be solved when the proprietor turns into FAA licensed – which is one thing all drone pilots are required to do.
“There are much more drone operators that are not conscious of the foundations that they need to adjust to. And that is the explanation we’re placing out the messaging with the federal government trade to get extra drone operators conscious of the foundations. Safely integrating means they’ve to know the airspace they’re flying into. You’ll be able to’t go purchase a drone and bodily fly it wherever you need,” Ginter stated.
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Whereas the Air Security Institute works with the FAA and different teams on that messaging, Krakowski says some modifications additionally have to be made in relation to aviation know-how – like growing gadgets that make it simpler for a airplane to remember a drone is approaching.
“There are new applied sciences for monitoring of drones which might be going to be placed on future drones which might be beneath growth proper now. In order that’s a very good factor,” Krakowski stated.
Since drones haven’t got “eyes” or see, Krakowski says aerospace engineers are additionally engaged on growing new gear that may permit them to “sense and keep away from” different plane when flying. It might additionally permit planes to see small drones earlier than it is too late.
“Within the reviews that we checked out, it actually stunned among the pilots how shut they got here. They didn’t see it far sufficient away to take evasive motion. (Turns head) Increase! Glided by the window. And actually startled one of many crews specifically,” Krakowski stated.
What’s subsequent:
There’s one other growth on the horizon in relation to integrating drones safely into managed airspace.
The FAA can be anticipated to quickly start the method for public touch upon establishing new guidelines and rules for drones that may fly past a pilot’s visible line of sight.
The Supply: FOX 32 Chicago Investigates reported on this story.
