Midair Collision in Washington DC

[Magical Realist]

Then the crash wasn't due to the FAA's DEI hiring policy like Trump ignorantly claimed it was..

[C C]

Here is the best video of the collision that I've seen yet.

The helicopter is approaching from the left and appears to fly right into the airliner. The airliner can be seen tumbling on all of its axes as it falls into the Potomac river. Hard to tell what we are seeing after the impact from the video, but the airliner certainly wasn't intact (missing large parts of wing and/or fuselage, hard to tell from the video) and was no longer flying in a controlled aerodynamic fashion after the collision.

https://x.com/stillgray/status/1885300723845411162

Amazing (but in a horrific context) how the helicopter looks as if it "survived" the collision with its shape intact, whereas the airliner completely disintegrated (in terms of initial or causal appearances).

[Syne]

The control tower being understaffed could have been because they were too busy trying to fill quotas instead of filling the positions.

[Zinjanthropos]

The control tower being understaffed could have been because they were too busy trying to fill quotas instead of filling the positions.

I would think Trump based his take solely on that scenario. Was thinking along same lines. Why in hell is ATC understaffed for an airport like that? Wouldn’t want that job for all the oil in Canada

[Syne]

The control tower being understaffed could have been because they were too busy trying to fill quotas instead of filling the positions.

I would think Trump based his take solely on that scenario. Was thinking along same lines. Why in hell is ATC understaffed for an airport like that? Wouldn’t want that job for all the oil in Canada

And Canada has the third largest oil reserves on the planet. So that's saying something.

But Trump did also say we don't know yet, which is responsible at this point.

Apparently both black boxes have been recovered, so hopefully that sheds more light.

[Magical Realist]

The control tower being understaffed could have been because they were too busy trying to fill quotas instead of filling the positions.

"This week, President Donald Trump claimed that diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at the FAA were the cause of the crash. He acknowledged he had no evidence to back up his claim, but said it was “common sense.”

Experts told Spectrum News that the training and testing to become an air traffic controller are so rigorous, only the best make it through.

“Regardless of your origins, we're still going to end up with the people who are the most qualified,” Maxine Lubner, professor and chair of the Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology, said. “There's no quotas by gender or race or sexual orientation — none of that applies. The only standards that apply are the knowledge, skills, aptitudes, ability to train and medical qualifications.”

https://spectrumnews1.com/wi/milwaukee/n...ontrollers

[Syne]

Nameless "experts." 9_9

[Magical Realist]

Nameless "experts." 9_9

As opposed to your made-up bullshit claim?

"Maxine Lubner, professor and chair of the Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology"

[Yazata]

I think that the issue is that some time ago, the FAA had a list of upwards of 1,000 applicants who had passed the testing and vetting to be air traffic controllers.

Then that list was thrown out because it wasn't "diverse" enough.

That led to a lawsuit from those who met the qualifications but were denied jobs because of their race/sex, that is still making its slow way through the courts.

Unfortunately, the FAA subsequently had trouble getting the number of qualified female and racial minority applicants that they wanted. Upwards of 50%.

So they lowered the required standards significantly. Not only were the tests easier, some of the tests were replaced entirely by less objective interviews and essays. But they still don't have enough applicants from the desired race/"gender" categories that also meet even minimum qualifications to be air traffic controllers.

(Probably the world's most high-stress job that requires total alertness and concentration 100% of the time. I couldn't do it...)

[Syne]

"Maxine Lubner, professor and chair of the Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology"

If you read her bio, it sounds like the epitome of a diversity hire.