Air traffic controllers told the American Airlines pilots to land at a secondary runway at Reagan Airport shortly before a Blackhawk helicopter collided into the aircraft on Wednesday evening.

Reagan Airport has one main runway. There are two shorter secondary runways that are not commonly used.

According to The New York Times, the pilots were told at the last minute to land at one of Reagan’s secondary runways after they were originally told to land on the main runway.

This last minute change caused the pilots to circle around and land on an intersecting runway.

Footage shows the helicopter crash into the American Airlines plane as it came in at a different angle to land at the shorter runway:

Webcam at the Kennedy Center caught an explosion mid-air across the Potomac. https://t.co/v75sxitpH6 pic.twitter.com/HInYdhBYs5

— Alejandro Alvarez (@aletweetsnews) January 30, 2025

Additionally, a preliminary FAA report indicated that staffing at the DCA Air Traffic Control tower was “not normal” at the time of the helicopter-plane collision.

According to NBC News, at the time of the collision, one controller was overseeing both helicopter and airplane traffic.

Typically, one controller focuses on helicopter activity.

The New York Times reported:

Shortly before an American Airlines regional jet and an Army helicopter collided near Reagan National Airport on Wednesday night, the plane’s pilots were asked to pivot its landing route from one runway to another, according to a person briefed on the event and conversation overheard on audio recordings of conversations that occurred between an air traffic controller and the pilots.

American Airlines Flight 5342, which was en route to Washington from Wichita, Kan., had originally been cleared by the National Airport traffic control tower to land on the airport’s main runway, called Runway 1, the person briefed on the events and the audio recordings revealed. But in the final moments of the flight, this person and these recordings also showed, the jet pilot was asked by air traffic control to instead make a circle landing on a separate, intersecting runway, Runway 33.

That decision, according to the person who was briefed on the event and two other people who are familiar with the airport’s air traffic, happens routinely when regional jets like the American Airlines aircraft are involved, and may have been made to help keep air traffic moving efficiently by not clogging the main runway. It nonetheless raised questions within the Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday morning about congestion at National Airport, one of the nation’s busiest, the person briefed on the event added.

The secondary runway theory was floated earlier this week.

Per a user on X:

Having visited the White House many times to visit the President…and Kinsey (barf)…heres some early feedback on this airspace from personal experience.

1st: Reagan has only 1 primary runway which parallels the river (north south). It does have two secondary runways which are far shorter and tend to only take regional jets.

2nd: From the look of this it appears the plane was landing on the secondary runway from the South, meaning it was basically flying up the Potomac to the North.

3rd: Just before landing, planes typically turn to align with the secondary runway at a low altitude.

4th: That turn takes place to the south east of the airport, an area that tends to have a lot of helicopter traffic, including military helicopters flying from that area.

5th: The use of the secondary runway isn’t super common, most planes land on the primary north south runway.

6th: The DCA airspace is insanely busy, and flights taking off have to contend with a very strict no fly zone over the Capitol, necessitating the river approach from the north and a quick turn when departing to the north.

7th: Given all these factors, and the fact there was a bad near collision in 2024 because of confusion between the primary and secondary runways, I wouldn’t be surprised if the helicopter and plane overlapped in an area the ATC controller doesn’t focus on nearly as much.

Not definitive or placing blame, but hopefully this helps for those who aren’t familiar with the airspace and the dynamics here.

Having visited the White House many times to visit the President…and Kinsey (barf)…heres some early feedback on this airspace from personal experience.

1st: Reagan has only 1 primary runway which parallels the river (north south). It does have two secondary runways which are… https://t.co/ndIDYzNiWN

— Jack O’Neill (@Jack2LOneill) January 30, 2025

The post REVEALED: Air Traffic Controllers Told American Airlines Pilots to Land at Secondary, Intersecting Runway in Final Moments of Doomed Flight appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Shortly before 8 a.m., a 5-year-old boy from Royal Oak, MI, was inside a hyperbaric chamber at The Oxford Center, a medical facility at 165 Kirts Blvd in Troy, MI, where he was being treated when the chamber exploded with the young boy inside.

Troy Police and the Troy Fire Department responded immediately to the scene, where they discovered the boy was already deceased. According to the Troy Police, “The mother suffered injuries to her arms as she was standing next to the cylinder when it exploded.” The name of the 5-year-old boy has not yet been released. Please pray for this little boy and his family.

Troy Police Department’s Lieutenant Ben Hancock addressed the media following the horrific explosion. “A hyperbaric chamber contains 100% oxygen, which is up to five times the amount of oxygen in a normal room. The presence of such a high amount of oxygen in a pressurized environment can make it extremely combustible,” Troy Fire Department Lieutenant Keith Young told the media. “Our initial research shows that this is not a common incident, and the scene remains under active investigation,” he added.

Watch a portion of the press conference with the Troy Police Department and Troy Fire Department, as they explain what they know so far about the explosion:

TRAGIC!!!

Hyperbaric Chamber EXPLODES with 5-yr-old boy from Royal Oak, MI inside!

The boy was killed and his mother was injured.

The explosion happened at the Oxford Center in Troy, MI. pic.twitter.com/sgVHzzVRHL

— PattyMI (@PattyLovesTruth) January 31, 2025

Here is a look inside the Oxford Center’s hyperbaric chamber room that appears to be geared toward children:

This informative video reveals how safety precautions are supposed to be taken to protect the patient. There have been no reports  In the video, Erika Jordan, founder of Hyperbaric Healing Treatment Center, explains how “prior to putting a patient in there,” they “maximize the chamber depth, so it’s as deep as it goes, so in the event of a fire, we have enough time to safely get the patient out of there.”

The post 5-Yr-Old Boy Killed After Hyperbaric Chamber in Michigan Explodes With Him Inside [VIDEO] appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Newly released footage has revealed shocking details about the tragic collision between a US military helicopter and an American Airlines passenger jet near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport last Wednesday, which killed all 67 people aboard both aircraft.

The American Airlines flight 5342, operated by PSA Airlines and flying from Wichita, Kansas, collided with a military helicopter over the Potomac River while on its final approach to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The impact caused both aircraft to crash into the Potomac River.

According to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the Army unit involved was Bravo Company, 12th Aviation Battalion, which is based at Fort Belvoir.

The Black Hawk’s crew was operating under night vision conditions, and the purpose of the flight was to maintain required operational proficiency.

“It was an annual proficiency training flight,” said Hegseth in a video statement.

“When we look at the crew, and not all can have been notified, so we’re going to withhold the ranks and names at this point. We do know on our side who was involved.

He added, “It was a fairly experienced crew that was doing a required annual night evaluation. They did have night vision goggles.”

Exclusive information obtained earlier by Fox News revealed that the instructor pilot in command of the Black Hawk had logged over 1,000 flying hours.

Meanwhile, the co-pilot, a woman with 500 flying hours, possessed what is regarded as a standard level of experience within aviation circles.

The crew chief of the ill-fated U.S. Army helicopter has been identified as Ryan O’Hara, a 2014 graduate of Parkview High School in Lilburn, Georgia.

Chief Warrant Officer Andrew Eaves, one of the pilots aboard the Black Hawk, leaves behind a wife and children.

The American Airlines flight crew involved in the tragic midair collision has also been released. The crew members have been identified as:

• Captain Jonathan Campos
• First Officer Samuel Lilley
• Flight Attendant Ian Epstein
• Flight Attendant Danasia Elder

Newly surfaced footage obtained by CNN has provided a clearer picture of the events leading up to the disaster.

WATCH:

NEW: President Trump is questioning the situation surrounding the Black Hawk’s collision with the American Airlines flight as new footage is released.

In a post on Truth, Trump appeared to disclose that the pilot was flying above the 200 foot limit.

“The Blackhawk helicopter… pic.twitter.com/6HqEVLLeDU

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 31, 2025

Here’s another video:

SECOND ANGLE: DC Mid-Air Collision

New footage has emerged showing a second angle of the tragic mid-air collision between the military Blackhawk helicopter and the commuter jet over Washington, DC.

This new perspective raises even more questions—was this purely an… pic.twitter.com/7xWzuRz4Jl

— Project Constitution (@ProjectConstitu) January 31, 2025

Preliminary investigations suggest that air traffic control had communicated with the helicopter about the incoming passenger jet seconds before the collision.

The helicopter pilot reportedly acknowledged the message, but the subsequent actions remain under scrutiny.

In the recording, an air traffic controller can be heard asking the helicopter pilot, “PAT 25, do you have the CRJ in sight?”

The controller then instructs, “PAT 25, pass behind the CRJ.” However, no response is heard from the helicopter crew.

On Friday, Trump issued a new statement regarding the tragic collision, stating, “The Blackhawk helicopter was flying too high, by a lot. It was far above the 200-foot limit. That’s not really too complicated to understand, is it???”

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has recovered the flight data recorders from both aircraft and is analyzing the information to determine the cause of the accident, according to BBC.

The post Shocking New Footage of US Military Helicopter Collision with American Airlines Released — Trump Says Black Hawk was Flying Above Limit appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

The real-life saga of the rise and fall of rapper mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs continues to hit the headlines every other day as he awaits trial while imprisoned in Brooklyn MDC.

Yesterday (30), prosecutors filed a superseding indictment that covers alleged crimes over two decades: from 2004 to 2024. In the first indictment, the earliest allegations dated to 2008.

New York Post reported:

“Sean “Diddy” Combs once dangled a victim over an apartment balcony, prosecutors alleged in a new indictment that added two more victims and an earlier start date to the disgraced star’s alleged reign of sexual terror.”

Read: Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs ‘Throws Tantrums’ Over the Attention Accused CEO Killer Luigi Mangione Is Getting Inside Their Infamous Brooklyn MDC Jail: REPORT

While the new indictment brings new accusations against Diddy over an expanded timeline of alleged abuse, it does not include any new charges.

Two new anonymous victims featured in the filing allegedly agreed to pre-arranged sexual encounters ‘that often lasted multiple days, were sometimes recorded and regularly involved sex workers’.

“Combs ‘abused, threatened and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires’, the indictment read, accusing him of using such tactics to force three unnamed women ‘to engage in commercial sex acts’. Combs would keep the women ‘obedient and compliant’ by feeding them narcotics, according to the superseding indictment.”

Read: Sean ‘Diddy’ Comb’s Accuser Says She Pulled a Knife on Him After the Rapper and His Friends Gang-Raped Her – Diddy Refutes Claims (VIDEO)

The acts alleged in the filing are similar to the drug-fueled sex marathons Combs called ‘Freak Offs.’

“’Like the Freak Offs, these commercial sex acts involving Combs and a female victim were prearranged, sometimes lasted multiple days, were sometimes electronically recorded by Combs and often involved Combs distributing a variety of controlled substances to the victim, in part to keep the victim obedient and compliant’, the indictment read.

The hip-hop producer was also newly accused of ‘tracking [the victims’] whereabouts, dictating the victims’ appearance, monitoring their medical records, controlling their housing, and supplying them with controlled substances’.”

Besides the federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges, Diddy faces lawsuits from ‘at least 120 alleged victims’.

“’The latest Indictment contains no new offenses. The prosecution’s theory remains flawed. The government has added the ridiculous theory that two of Mr. Combs’ former girlfriends were not girlfriends at all but were prostitutes. Mr. Combs is as committed as ever to fighting these charges and winning at trial’, his attorney Marc Agnifilo said in a statement.”

Read more:

Investigation Discovery’s ‘The Fall of Diddy’ Brings Assistant’s Shocking Allegations, as Multiple Docs and Docuseries Portray Rapper’s Life and Mounting Legal Troubles

The post Prosecutors Drop Superseding Indictment Against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs – Charges Now Span Two Decades Starting in 2004 – Accused of Dangling Victim Over an Apartment Balcony! appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

By Wayne Allyn Root

My longtime friend is a retired Colonel in the U.S. Army who served in the roles of both Blackhawk helicopter pilot, and Blackhawk Crew Chief as well. No one knows this helicopter better than my friend. Let’s call him Colonel Joe.

We’ve all seen the reports about the mistakes made in this tragic crash. We know the chopper was flying too high. We know the Control Tower was short of air controllers- and one controller was doing the job of two. It appears the Blackhawk was off course as well.

And we all suspect DEI could have been at fault- whether this involved the pilots, flight commanders on the ground, or the Air Controllers.

But my friend Colonel Joe is the expert. Here is Colonel Joe’s “Executive Summary.” These are his words- coming from a lifelong experienced Blackhawk pilot and Crew Chief.

In his opinion, the biggest issue is the flight was missing a fourth crew member for a night flight- a second Crew Chief.

Colonel Joe’s Executive Summary:

*The single-greatest error in this accident was the decision to fly without a second Crew Chief on the left-hand side of the Blackhawk, who could have provided an extra set of eyes to “look out-and-up” to see the approaching American Airlines Passenger plane.

*Night Vision Goggle (NVG) flights result in a sort-of “tunnel vision” for all who wear the NVGs and normal policy in many Army flight units is to force a full crew of 2 pilots and 2 crew chiefs for all NVG flights, so that you always have “eyes out” to both sides of the aircraft, when flying in those conditions. While not mandatory, it is the proper safety call, especially when flying in the vicinity of a busy, major airport such as Reagan Airport (DCA). No matter how competent the pilots and Crew Chiefs may be, this flight needed a second Crew Chief on the left side of the chopper.

*The front-left pilot, even if not wearing Night Vision Goggles, would still have limited visibility out the left door, and if that pilot is busy with radio calls, or referencing the map/GPS, that pilot could get consumed by work inside the cockpit, instead of looking out and around.

*Flight Unit Leadership failed to recognize the need for a second Crew Chief in the Mission Planning and Risk Assessment Process. This is where either incompetence, or DEI (or both), may have come into play. This was certainly poor leadership.

*Known mistakes by the Blackhawk Flight Crew point to a lack of experience and/or competence. We’ve heard in the media that both pilots were “experienced.” This is just not true. Someone is “blowing smoke” to the media, to President Trump, and to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, to “cover their ass.” The collective level of experience of the pilots was not impressive. Their level of experience is like comparing a rookie in the NFL to a second-year player. The pilot had the experience of a second-year player, while the co-pilot was a rookie. This was NOT an experienced crew to be flying at night, near a major airport, without a second crew chief.

*Radio calls were not responded to by the Blackhawk crew, and they flew at 350 Feet above ground level (AGL), whereas reports say they were supposed to fly at 200 Feet AGL. These two mistakes alone show that the crew were not as experienced or professional as reported to President Trump, Defense Secretary Hegseth, or the media.

*The Instructor Pilot may have been too inexperienced for this “Annual Evaluation” flight, as mistakes were clearly made during the course of the flight (that are assumed to have been made by the junior pilot being evaluated). Why didn’t the Instructor Pilot notice they were flying too high and off course? That points to his lack of experience. If there had been a second Crew Chief, he could have noticed these mistakes and warned the pilots.

*The Flight Unit Commanders must share the blame, and they’re still alive! There is a 12th Aviation Battalion commander of that B Company, and I don’t know who that is, but this individual was the first leader in the chain of events for the Mission Plan and Risk Assessment to get signed off and approved. This B Company commander should be asked why they did not enforce a second Crew Chief to be on that flight.

*Accident sequences for these types of accidents begin in “Mission Planning,” when first selecting the time you will fly, where you will fly for the Annual Evaluation, and what crew members will be on the flight. Any of the Leaders in that unit’s Chain of Command could have demanded that this flight have two Crew Chiefs aboard the aircraft, due to NVG flying conditions, plus the busy airspace of Reagan airport.

*An experienced, thoughtful leader knows when to “raise the standard” and force the mission to have that second Crew Chief aboard the aircraft. This was clearly one of those moments, and both the B Company Commander and the 12th Aviation Battalion Commander failed to see through this risk problem and impose their own “Risk Reduction” to include a second Crew Chief to manage the left-hand side of the Blackhawk.

*In my opinion, even with all these mistakes that were made, a Crew Chief on the left side of the Blackhawk would still have saved them in that last 20 seconds when that American Airlines flight was approaching on the left-hand side. A Crew Chief in that seat would have warned the pilots to turn and descend immediately.

This accident was completely avoidable. Thank you to my friend Colonel Joe for this thoughtful analysis.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Watch Wayne’s new TV Show, “The ROOT Reaction” weeknights at 10 PM ET/7 PM Pacific on Real America’s Voice TV, and Wayne’s weekend “America’s Top Ten Countdown” on Saturdays at Noon ET/9 AM PT on Real America’s Voice TV. Watch at RealAmericasVoice.com, or at Rumble, Roku, Pluto, Apple, Dish TV Ch 219, or go to RootforAmerica.com to watch. Read Wayne’s latest fun book, “How Democrats Have Made America Great.” It’s 140 blank pages! The joke is on Democrats!

The post WAYNE ROOT: Here is the Best Explanation I’ve Heard for the Crash at Reagan Airport From An Experienced Blackhawk Pilot and Crew Chief appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.