When a plane crashes in your neighborhood

Through some combination of 2020 lockdown decision-making, the convenience of having Costco within walking distance, and an easy commute to the former employment situation with atrocious hours that got me back to the DC area, I moved to Pentagon City in Arlington four and a half years ago, and it has been home since.

Living near a busy urban commercial airport

Depending on which Metro stop I walk to, I can be at National Airport (DCA) in one or two stops. I tell people I'm close enough to the airport that I only hear planes from my home when one aborts a landing, ascends quickly, flies west, and circles to try again.

DCA is a slot-restricted airport. Each airline is allocated a specific number of flights. Any flight longer than 1,250 miles needs additional authorization. Adding more long-haul flights was a sticking point as Congress debated and passed the FAA Reauthorization Act in 2024. Eventually, the compromise was five new pairs of long-haul flights.

On a nice day, a walk to Long Bridge Park comes with the sight of planes taking off or landing every few minutes. After a swim at the Long Bridge Aquatic Center, it is delightful to see planes come in for landing while soaking in the hot tub. Most of the time, they take off or land from Runway 1/19. That's the runway you think of if you've flown into DCA.

If your flight is approaching the airport heading east and your seat ends with the letter A, you'll get an incredible view of the city's most iconic buildings on the river visual approach to Runway 19. The plane straddles the Potomac River between Virginia and Washington, closely following the path of the George Washington Parkway before a sharp turn south just seconds before landing.

Occasionally, when I'm walking in the park, there is the jarring experience of a plane taking off from Runway 15/33. It's a shorter runway, just 5,204 feet. It's limited to regional jets like American Eagle, Delta Connection, United Express, or Air Canada Express. The plane flies above the walking path and soccer field at just a few hundred feet. How rare is it? In 2023, just 5.5% of departures took off from Runway 33 heading west. Even fewer planes land using that same path as Runway 15, just 0.7%. I assume this is primarily because of the proximity to The Pentagon.

American Eagle Flight 5342 approached DCA last night, headed toward the southern end of 15/33. The plane was flying north and was cleared to land on Runway 33. In 2023, just 4.6% of landings at DCA used that approach.

So, what did I see or hear?

Nothing. When a regional jet collides with a Black Hawk helicopter a mile and a half away, the sound doesn't travel that far. That's something I wish I didn't know.

My first indication something was wrong was a 9:06 PM text from my only friend who talks more about airlines than I do. He also works as a correspondent for a cable news channel you almost certainly have an opinion about. Five words: Major incident unfolding at Reagan.

I heard a lot of sirens a few minutes before that text, and then it all made sense. The former journalist's instincts kicked in. Trying to learn as much information as possible when you can't control what is happening. People on social media confirmed almost everything we currently know before I finished my first Google search. The speed at which information moves now is scary.

Friends learning of the news sent me texts. I warned friends with ties to Wichita about what was happening.

Watching a tragedy unfold on TV

I had a few seconds of the urge to be in a newsroom as news broke. The emotion was fleeting for a good reason. I quickly realized this was no DC equivalent of the Miracle on the Hudson. The journalists covering this would soon go from talking about a potential rescue operation to the gut punch accompanying the transition to a recovery mission.

My 15 years working in newsrooms left me with a skill I didn't know I had until last night. Reading the body language and vocal cues of reporters and anchors who know they will soon be reporting bad news, but they don't have confirmed information to report yet. The tension is palpable watching them on camera. The words come out slower as they think about everything they say to avoid saying what they suspect is true but hasn't been confirmed by a reportable source. Their tone of voice goes deeper and turns somber. I don't recall the exact point I knew they knew this was a tragedy. But I'd say the tone turned to preparing for the worst by 11:00 PM.

I forced the screens off after the first press conference. The ability to step away is still fairly new to me. I don't take it for granted.

The next day

The commute from Arlington to DC on the yellow line was silent this morning. Metro is rarely a place where strangers chat, but other than the ambient noise of the subway traveling on the tracks and the announcements over the speakers, you could hear a pin drop this morning.

I could see the recovery mission in the distance as I crossed the Potomac on the yellow line. Nearby, I saw pieces of ice remaining in the river from last week's cold weather.

Those two things made the tragedy feel real. Only one thought crossed my mind: I hope those 67 people died instantly and did not suffer.

This feels different, and it is tough to explain why

I've lived in multiple communities that have been devastated by mass shootings. My extended family had first-hand experience with gun violence when my cousin Tom was murdered in 2018.

There's a big difference between personal grief and community grief. They both are awful. The community grief of a plane crash feels very different from that of a shooting.

It is human nature to want someone or something to blame. Crimes almost always have one person the community can point to as the person who forever altered the lives of so many people.

By all witness accounts and air traffic control audio, the crash of Flight 5342 is likely a tragic accident. While I am no aviation expert and will leave the investigation to experts, based on the current information available to the public, no apparent malicious actor is to blame.

I'm not going to talk about him

You know who I am talking about. I've fallen for the rage bait on short-form social media.

Closing thoughts

Dozens of families have just experienced the worst day of their lives. Tomorrow may be worse for them, or it may be slightly less awful. Every person's journey through loss and grief is different. Whatever the days and weeks ahead bring for them, their grieving has just started. They are the people we need to put first. Listen to stories from people who knew them best. Learn their names.

That should have been my first paragraph.

-RM