>>22466580 lb
And Sec. Duffy is correct. If the Sikorsky was on a squawk code and I am positive it was, then the crew of the CRJ would not have needed per say, to be looking out the window for it although they certainly would have been. TCAS II would have initially painted the helicopter 10 miles or farther depending on where each crew member had their display set, as a white diamond on the display system showing altitude, direction of flight, climb and descent information.
Azimuth information can go out as far as 150 miles on these things and it can be lowered to 5 miles with a 2 1/2 mile arc at the mid point of the display. This would also depict the "Threat" up to and at, the current position of the CRJ.
But way before that point the TCAS would have issued a caution alert (TRAFFIC, TRAFFIC) and the crew would have been looking in the correct direction for the helicopter. Not something you want to hear at 300' on a short final. The TCAS systems query each other in all aircraft equiped with them. It lets you know what the "other guy" is doing. Heard a report this morning that the Sikorsky is not equiped with TCAS.
If the flight paths of the two aircraft are computed to intersect each other this is when the caution alert is issued and if nothing changes at the 90 second point before potential impact happens, a "WARNING" alert sounds. The WARNNING alert issues an escape manuver in this situation and instructs the crew to either "CLIMB, CLIMB" or "DESCEND, DESCEND". In this situation the TCAS would not have issued a DESCEND, DESCEND warning to the CRJ crew as they were only 300 feet above touchdown elevation.
Rotorcraft traffic have a specific corridor that is required to go up and down the Potomac River east of KDCA and it's been this way for decades. This includes direction of flight and altitude restrictions. On a 3 degree glipe slope to RWY 33 and the CRJ at less than a 1/2 mile from touchdown, there is no way in hell that helicopter should have been where it was at the altitude it was, when it collided with the CRJ. The helicopter was too far west of the standard route for the altitude they were flying at.
This will be deemed to be "pilot error" on behalf of the helicopter crew or as anon is saying, there is fuckery afoot here. At this point, there is no way to tell……………yet.
God bless all those people and their families. 16 years without a fatal airline accident and that ended last night.