Safety protocols remain unchanged in Carolinas after fatal DC crash sparks fear

It would be hard not be to rattled by a helicopter colliding mid-air with a commercial airplane.

It’s been less than two months since an American Airlines plane imploded after coming into contact with an Army Black Hawk in the skies over Washington, D.C., killing 67 people.

And it will be several more months before the public gets answers from the National Transportation Safety Board about what went wrong.

In the meantime, airports and military bases in the Carolinas have kept protocols unchanged. Local officials have been directing inquiries to federal agencies. 

“Everything has been the same here,” Charlotte Douglas Airport spokesperson Chris Poore said.

“Business as usual” has been the pattern even after a series of recent fatal plane crashes nationwide.

Two days following the Washington crash, a small medical jet crashed into a Philadelphia neighborhood, killing six. Just weeks later, a Delta Air Lines jet crash-landed at Toronto Pearson International Airport, flipping upside down and injuring 21 people.

Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport was not affected by the Washington crash other than suffering a few flight delays, spokesperson Tiffany Cherry said. 

“I can’t say that we put in any additional measures other than the security screening and monitoring that we do all the time,” Cherry said.

Likewise, there were “no immediate safety measures … implemented” at Columbia International Airport that were tied to the Washington crash, according to spokeswoman Kim Jamieson Crafton. 

Crafton directed air traffic control and general aviation operations questions to the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA declined an interview request about the Washington crash.

Military, commercial overlap

The questions not only are being directed to commercial airports, as South Carolina is the home to eight military bases. 

Commercial and military aircraft sharing airspace is a common occurrence.

Charleston’s airbase shares two runways with commercial jets. And Columbia Metropolitan Airport serves both military and commercial flights.

“When they do test flights on our runway, it is coordinated through the airport’s air traffic control,” Columbia’s Crafton said. “The ATC is well aware of any and all ‘movement on the ramp.’ These test flights, our commercial flights and any private flights are all coordinated and in constant communication with the ATC.”

The ATC tower, whose employees are federal workers,  declined to comment and directed questions to the FAA. 

Joint Base Charleston, McEntire Joint National Guard Base, Fort Jackson and the South Carolina National Guard also did not respond to media inquiries.

Travelers demand action and updates 

Concern among frequent flyers is growing over the multiple plane crashes in the first two months of the year.

Pia Murray, an international college student from Great Britain, is nervous about how the disturbing events might affect her future travel, specifically out of South Carolina.

“As someone who flies a lot, it’s scary to know that nothing is being changed,” Murray said. 

And the crashes brought another reminder: Recent FAA data shows most U.S. air traffic control facilities are understaffed.

Travelers like Murray are concerned. 

“There should at least be an effort to make sure that the roles are fully staffed, or to at least tell people when they are or aren’t,” she said.

The wife of a man killed in the Washington crash has filed a legal claim, seeking $250 million.  

Two passengers of the Toronto flight have also filed lawsuits. One lawsuit claims “recklessness” and “inadequate training.”