The tragic midair collision of an American Eagle passenger jet with a U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter in Washington, D. C. this week was politicized and conspiracy theorized within hours. Neither response is appropriate.  Our government and the media has created such a sense of distrust that many of us don’t believe anything we see, hear, or read anymore. That’s by design. Believing nothing will steer you wrong just as surely as believing everything. In the case of AA Flight 5342, it appears the simple explanation– human error– is correct. A pilot friend of ours recommended this analysis of the crash by an experienced pilot who reviews the recording of communications between air traffic controllers at Reagan National Airport, which indicates that the pilot of the Blackhawk helicopter thought he had Flight 5342 in sight when, in fact, he was looking at the plane coming in behind it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfgllf1L9_4