BOSTON (WHDH) - The path that became a collision course for an Army helicopter Wednesday night is a familiar one for retired Army National Guard pilot Darrell Feller.
“I used to fly that route a couple of times a week,” said Feller. “Both day and night.”
Feller says what’s called the “D.C. Helo (helicopter) Routes” are meant to be run with precision.
“They’re set up with specific routes, altitudes, reporting points,” said Feller. “And the reason is to separate the Helo traffic from the commercial air traffic.”
Feller says the runway and approach the American Airlines jet was directed to take was not unusual, but it wasn’t the norm.
The retired pilot says it could have presented problems for the chopper pilot.
“I had that exact same incident several years ago where I was flying south down the route at night,” said Feller. “And there was a commercial jet landing on three three, and I could not see him. I lost ‘em in the city lights there in Anacostia, around DIA. You just you can’t see ‘em.”
Officials said the pilots had night vision goggles, but Feller says he didn’t always use them.
According to Feller, they can cause more problems than they solve.
“You know, I-295 is right over there,” said Feller. “So moving lights, they get mixed up with ground lights, with cars. You just can’t see them even with [night vision] goggles on. [Night vision] goggles actually make it worse down there. It’s so bright still, a lot of times we would flip our goggles up going through that area.”
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