By GB News (World News) | Created at 2025-01-31 08:46:27 | Updated at 2025-01-31 11:58:48
3 hours ago
Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, the pilot famed for landing a passenger jet on the Hudson River in 2009, has shared his theory about what may have contributed to Wednesday's devastating aircraft collision in Washington DC.
The veteran pilot believes that flying at night over water could have been a crucial factor in the crash which claimed 67 lives.
Sullenberger told The New York Times that "there would have been fewer ground lights visible over the water than over land at night" - which "might have made it a little bit harder to see" other aircraft.
"Nighttime always makes things different about seeing other aircraft - basically all you can do is see the lights on them," he said.
Captain Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger was portrayed by Tom Hanks in the 2016 film Sully: Miracle on the Hudson
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PICTURED: Wreckage from the doomed American Airlines flight
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Sully was miraculously able to land his plane on New York City's Hudson River
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All 64 passengers aboard the commercial flight perished in the crash, along with three soldiers who were conducting a training mission in the helicopter.
Rescue crews made significant progress on Thursday evening, recovering two black boxes from the Potomac River wreckage.
At least 40 bodies have been recovered from the water following extensive recovery operations.
The four flight crew members' bodies were also retrieved on Thursday, including Captain Jonathan Campos, 34, First Officer Samuel Lilley, and flight attendants Ian Epstein and Danasia Elder.
Recovery efforts are still ongoing in DC's Potomac River
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Meanwhile, a preliminary report has revealed that air traffic control staffing at Reagan National Airport was "not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic".
The controller monitoring helicopters was simultaneously directing planes landing and departing on the runways - tasks typically handled by two separate controllers using different radio frequencies.
As of September 2023, the airport had just 19 fully certified controllers, well below the target of 30.
Recent figures showed some improvement, with 24 of 28 positions filled, representing 85 per cent staffing levels.
PICTURED: Emergency alerts flash up on screens at Ronald Reagan National Airport
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Controllers frequently work 10-hour days, six days a week, to address ongoing staffing shortages.
In a similar incident just one day before the crash, a Republic Airways flight had to abort its landing at Reagan National when a helicopter appeared near its flight path.
