Originally Posted by
notwithstanding
But, who exactly are the “knuckleheads” ? To my mind, they are the officials who approved these routes & procedures. Would you agree ? Others (ATC & pilots) might have made contributory errors, but the situation was orchestrated by those who designed & allowed the procedures. Correct ?
Yes I agree. But it's also possible that the maintenance of such 'procedures' in the face of the growing body of evidence of their unsafety is actually part of a policy stance of expediting traffic, particularly given the highly political nature of the helicopter operator.
I've asked a question over on Rotorheads to see if anyone knows the actual clearance and service given to helicopters entering the DCA Class Bravo on the 'routes', and I'm happy to repeat it here. In London it's Radar Control ie. separation provided by ATC supported by radar. That's one part of the picture. The other is this startling revelation from Jennifer Homendy that there are no lateral limits to the 'routes', so in one sense they are not really 'routes' at all just guidelines with defined altitude limits. I can't find even altitude limits on the NY and Boston charts.
In other words, the way the 'routes' are used is quite possibly defined locally by custom and practice rather than designed with safety baked in by the authority, and that may be the way the authority intended things to be. In the UK every towered field has its own safety management system, as does the CAA. If these exist here at DCA and the FAA it would be instructive to have those examined as part of the investigation, because either they are not being used, or they're being ignored. Nobody could maintain that the risks on this 'route' were As Low As Reasonably Practicable (ALARP).