I learnt on Wednesday, there was a plane crash on the approach to Washington airport. A small passenger plane collided with a Black Hawk helicopter while it was descending towards runway 33. I think black hawk helicopters are military rescue aircraft, they're like ambulances that are very hard to shoot down. They have lots of armoured plates and flare guns that automatically confuse missiles. The motor of the helicopter is all at the top of the aircraft with armour surrounding it and there are 4 rotor blades. It doesn't carry missiles but I think they attach Gatling machine guns to the sides for defence. They winch up injured soldiers or drop medicine and supplies to troops.
The passenger aircraft was a CRJ-700, they're very small aircraft that carry less than 100 passengers; they're designed for small domestic flights with fewer passenger numbers. It has two small jet engines attached next to the tail fins of the aircraft for excellent stability. It is a very efficient small aircraft developed by the Bombardier corporation in Canada. I think the airline using the aircraft was American Airlines.
Going by all the reports from news, I would say it was an accident caused by poor communication. The black hawk helicopter was performing a training exercise and the airline was heading for the airport. They were both in the wrong place at the wrong time because neither of them were aware of the hazard. The good thing is there were only 60 passengers on the plane. If it was a larger plane, there could have been hundreds of deaths.
