I think it's not unreasonable to assume that words being exchanged in the cockpit/the extra workload prevented the pilots from noticing the ATC transmissions to the helicopter, and that would have impaired their situational awareness.
I think it
is unreasonable. Those crews probably do that runway change often, and would do it blindfolded. As for workload, I agree with Layman; the workload, even if they had briefed it, would have been the same.
Originally Posted by Musician
Situational awareness is required for safe flight, especially in congested airspace.
Clearly not a pilot, again. Pilots, especially of multi-crew aircraft should NOT have to listen every transmission to every other aircraft to "maintain situational awareness".
This is the problem with enthusiastic amateurs and blood-thirsty lawyers: all these peripheral issues take centre-stage and the real causes are not addressed. Easier to spear the pilots of the CRJ for not doing a unneeded briefing or missing a TCAS alerts than get the FAA and army boffins that approved that sh1tshow in the first place...