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This tragic crash, the latest in an uptick, sadly, in major aviation accidents in recent years.

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Last year, there were 15 flight and two ground Class A incidents, meaning incidents that killed

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service members or cost more than two and a half million dollars in damage. And the spike has put

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a pause on some flight operations right now to look at safety procedures. There is also concern

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over the air traffic controller staffing situation the night of the deadly crash.

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The AP initially reporting that staffing was not normal at the time. The FAA citing one person

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was responsible for coordinating helicopter traffic and arriving and departing planes.

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Another source telling the AP that it is normal for one controller to be doing two people's jobs

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at that time, like when there's a shift change or someone is on a break. Here now, aviation attorney

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and private pilot Timothy LaRanger, thank you for being with us. As I'm thinking about the airspace

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in Washington, D.C., one of the most busy and congested in the country, what are the challenges

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that pilots face when both military aircraft are doing training exercises and commercial

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or passenger planes are trying to take off and land?

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Well, the challenges are really for the air traffic controllers. When all of this action

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activity is occurring around the airport, they're responsible for separating the aircraft,

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keeping them in a safe position so that they don't have conflicts, like we saw in this tragedy.

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Pilots, of course, also are responsible for looking out of the aircraft, using the instruments

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within the aircraft to ensure that they keep an appropriate separation from aircraft as best

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they can. The CRJ was on final approach. You know, those pilots are really focused on landing

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the aircraft. They've been given clearance, meaning that they have that airspace. It's theirs.

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They can fly through it. And then the helicopter pilots certainly have a responsibility to look

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out the window, you know, the windshield of the aircraft and make sure that they are

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seeing other aircraft and avoiding them as much as possible. So it's a lot. It's a challenging

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airspace.

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Right. And there are lots of complicating factors that will have to be considered here.

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How high on the list is the altitude of the chopper in your mind?

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Well, there's a reason why they set at 200-foot altitude, and that is so there is a cushion

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between the aircraft that are landing and the aircraft that are flying through that corridor,

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that passage area that is used to get from one side of the airport to the other and designed

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in a way to avoid conflicts. So maintaining altitude at or below that ceiling is critical.

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It's very important. Why that aircraft, why the Blackhawk was higher at a higher altitude,

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whether it was really at a higher altitude, those are all things that will come out during

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this investigation.

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And we are waiting for all of the details and evidence to come from these data recorders

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on board the aircraft and also the Blackhawk. What are you most anticipating to hear or learn

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once that is released?

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I'm looking forward to hearing a full transcript of the air traffic control communications with

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both of the aircraft. Also, any communications within the cockpit or within the Blackhawk helicopter

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between the crew. You know, how were they coordinating? Because they're very highly trained

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to work together to make sure that when they're operating the aircraft, they're doing it in the

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safest possible way. And they do it as a team, everyone looking outside. So that would be a very

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interesting piece of information. You know, it's too early to rush to judgment. It's too early to

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suggest that it was the Blackhawk pilots or a particular air traffic controller. It was that it was

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their fault. So we need to hold off on that, get the information, then we can come to some

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conclusions.

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Meantime, I mean, you're a pilot, but you're also an attorney. So legally speaking, even as the

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investigation rolls forward, there are questions being asked legally, and I'm sure cases being

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prepared once we learn a little bit more. Do you have any concern that or anticipation that this

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will become a serious legal matter for anyone involved?

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Well, I would think that it's very likely that there will be litigation that arises from this

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incident. You know, 64, more than 60 people died, unfortunately, and due to some miscalculation or

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miscommunication or, you know, something that fell below what we would expect from the people who are

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involved. So I would anticipate that that will occur. But I know that responsible lawyers will be waiting to

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get the information that is available to make appropriate decisions and conclusions.

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Yeah, one step at a time. But accountability, always a part of the search for answers. Timothy

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LaRanger, thank you, sir, for your time.

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Thank you so much for having me.

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