Airline Close Calls Happen Far More Often Than Previously Known

I watched the loaded passenger jet swerve, climb and go to full throttle on a landing approach to avoid a helicopter ascending into the approach.

It was a very close call and I was shocked at how routinely the situation was treated by everyone involved.

The flight delay was half an hour.

It was not reported in the news, but I was able to find official documentation of the incident.

A few weeks later one of the helicopter crews wrecked there.

That made it to the news, but I'm still a bit in disbelief that the ostensibly safety regulatory apparatus is this dysfunctional.

It's only pure chance that the recklessness of the helicopters operating there only got themselves killed.

I don't understand why the maneuvers were allowed at all at a passenger airport, nevermind with a passenger jet on final approach, or why they were allowed to continue after near misses until a fatal crash occurred.

The ultimate outcome was entirely preventable, but the regulators were completely asleep at the wheel.

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