How is it that the Blackhawk was at 400ff, when the hard ceiling is 200 ft? Is there no autopilot or warnings to tell the pilot?
If it is very easy to overshoot the ceiling, the whole concept of a ceiling is suspect, i.e. the concept that helicopters can fly underneath landing paths.
The helo pilots would be hand flying that low and without an altitude deviation alerting system. It’s all ‘ stick and rudder’ when flying that low. Or should I say ‘ cyclic, collective and pedals’?
And yes, inadvertent altitude deviations very, very easily occur. It happens all the time, especially when you are distracted, say by looking outside for traffic. It doesn’t take muck back pressure on the stick/cyclic to drift up a couple hundred feet. It’s just carelessness or distraction. If it happens in less congested airspace then it’s not such a huge problem and ATC will usually just ask you to ‘confirm you are at 8,000 feet’, as a professional courtesy to remind you to go back to your assigned altitude. During a checkride you get failed for more than a 50’ deviation from assigned altitude.
Another human factor is the tendency to subconsciously ease back/up when you are distracted from the instrument panel when you are flying so close to the ground as your primary concern is terrain avoidance.
I agree that this 200’ high corridor is a high consequence routing. Although these DC helicopter routes have been active for decades without incident, this accident is evidence that aviation, like the sea, can be brutally unforgiving of the slightest inattention.
From what I’ve read in professional pilots fora, the military flies in this airspace with big swinging dicks and are seemingly not subject to accountability for airspace violations. I imagine this attitude is going to get adjusted right quick!
(My comments are speculative and just intended for general conversation. I respect the investigation process, the skilled civil and military airmen , Controllers, yhe victims and their friends and family)
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