CRJ 700, Helicopter Midair In Washington

Well put, JHull. A couple other compounding factors to consider, include the possibility the Blackhawk was communicating with tower on UHF, so the RJ crew would not have heard those communications and may have been less aware of a possible traffic conflict (I don’t know if LiveATC records UHF as well as VHF). The second is the fact that runway 33 is quite short, and the RJ (which has to be landed by the captain on this runway, at least by Delta standards) has to be sure it’s down within the 1000’ touchdown zone, or the FO is required to call “Go around”. So it’s possible both crew members were focused on the landing zone, and not so much on see-and-avoid that close to the runway.