DCA Mid Air Visibility Study

A disturbing simulated view from both the Helo and the CRJ prior to and up to impact.

I have been following this tragic accident carefully since it occurred. A major part of my working life was associated with forensic engineering of national security launch vehicle and satellite failures. I hope you'll forgive me if I vent my frustration. It's hard to know where to start. First of all, kudos to the pros of the NTSB for putting together this absolutely brilliant video analysis of a massive goat rope. This horrific lost of life was not caused by either aircrew, it was principally the result of a number of inexcusable errors, made primarily by the FAA: (1) The airspace design around DCA. It is simply crazy to rely on 75 feet of vertical separation between a VFR helicopter airway using barometric altitude determination and an ILS final approach glidepath. (2) Requiring a single ATC controller to attempt simultaneously to control multiple arriving and departing jet transport aircraft on one frequency and multiple VFR helicopters on a separate frequency, all in a noisy, cluttered radio environment. (3) Requiring this delicate, complex ballet to occur in a heavily light polluted visual environment - all principally for the joint convenience of high-ranking military and other officials who don't want to have to take a limo around DC and congressmen who don't want to have to trek back and forth to Dulles on a regular basis. I, and the people who worked for me, had to do this, why can't they? Finally, to add insult to injury (literally), a very high-ranking federal official (who shall remain nameless) immediately attributed this accident to the presence of a female pilot in the right seat of the helicopter. She was at 200 ft. indicated. Among the stupid, bigotry reigns supreme.
If an aircrew member calls in sick, and can't be replaced in time, you don't takeoff anyhow, you cancel the flight. If a controller calls in sick and you don't have a replacement, close the f***ing airspace; that will motivate a real solution to this chronic, longstanding problem. The notion that controllers are a lesser link in the safety chain because they are federal employees is another example lazy stupidity, this one dating back about 45 years. We seem to have multiple tens of billions of dollars to throw around on an unneeded, incompetent, and sometimes destructive federal agency;, how about fixing our air transport system instead?
You’re welcome.