The investigation into the deadly collision between a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines passenger jet must not become politicized, even while speculation grows about its causes, retired U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Blaine Holt said on Newsmax Saturday.
"We've got to respect the process," Holt told Newsmax's "The Count." "My advice to the Hill and Congress is to let this process work itself out. Don't politicize it because many of you don't have any kind of expertise to even understand what you're talking about."
Meanwhile, Holt noted that there has not been an accident with the military helicopters in the Reagan National Airport vicinity "going back to when this whole thing started with continuity of government missions."
However, responding to reports that the helicopter was flying outside of its altitude limits, Holt said that it "would have been protected" had it been in its assigned altitude.
"Furthermore, to compound it, you still have a helicopter that is under see and avoid rules," he said. "And I get that there may be some issues with the night vision goggles."
But still, he said that there will likely be a "lot of human factors" coming up in the investigation into the crash.
"What I'm worried about is that this process, especially because it's in Washington, D.C., it is going to get politicized so fast," said Holt. "And you've got to also try to preserve the training. They weren't flying those helicopters there because it was fun."
Another issue will be the matter of the air traffic controllers.
"Who the heck is allowing a minimally manned tower with a traffic count that's nearly double what it was designed for at Reagan [National]?" he said. "That is a foul and that's what's going to come out of the NTSB [investigation]."
Meanwhile, retired U.S. Army Col. Darin Gaub, a Black Hawk pilot, said he's also focusing on the potential that the helicopter went too high "in a very congested airspace" as well as the communications challenges between the tower and the helicopter and potentially the commercial jet.
"If there's a change here, I suspect people are going to realize that it is highly unusual to have only a couple hundred feet of separation, even if it's built in between a landing airliner and an under-flying helicopter," Gaub said. "We'll keep a close eye on that. But Congress, unfortunately, is going to be debating something that's extremely convenient for them with this airport and the safety of the airspace around them."
About NEWSMAX TV:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America!
- Find Newsmax channel in your home via cable and satellite systems – More Info Here
- Watch Newsmax+ on your home TV app or smartphone and watch it anywhere! Try it for FREE – See More Here: NewsmaxPlus.com