Neither D.C. Aircraft Saw Crash Coming, Ex-Black Hawk Pilot Believes

A former Black Hawk pilot is dropping a bombshell hypothesis about the Washington, D.C. crash, telling TMZ she believes neither the American Airlines jet nor the chopper would have seen the deadly collision coming.

Elizabeth McCormick, who flew Black Hawks for 8 years in her military career, tells TMZ a mid-air collision is the “least survivable” type of accidents an aircraft can face — adding she is of the opinion neither pilot would’ve had a clue what was coming until impact — based on what she has seen in news reports.

Catch the video, ’cause McCormick breaks it down even more. She says it was the chopper’s job to move out of the plane’s way, but with only 3 military crew members on board to keep lookout and air traffic control not picking up on the warning signs, there was no way they could’ve known what was about to happen.

The pilots of the AA flight were relying on their instruments … and air traffic control for any dangers. While the plane could not have altered course quickly enough to avoid the crash … the chopper could have moved on a dime, so Elizabeth says this tells her no one on either craft was aware of the impending doom.

She tells TMZ that particular airspace is packed, which is usual … but there’s a set route for helicopters. She doesn’t think the route will change, but she does believe the rules around it will.

At the end of the day, McCormick called it a “tragedy of epic proportions” — and it’s clear to see in video capturing the explosion over the Potomac River.