It would be difficult to rattle a helicopter collide with a commercially available plane into the air.
Less than two months after the American Airlines plane collapsed after 67 people were killed in contact with the Army Black Hawk in Washington, DC.
And it will take another few months before the public gets answers from National Road Safety Commission on what went wrong.
Meanwhile, Carolina airports and military bases have changed protocols. Local officials have directed the federal agency to contact them.
“It was all the same here,” said Chris Poule, a spokesman for Charlotte Douglas Airport.
“Normal business” was a pattern, even after a recent series of deadly planes crashed nationwide.
Two days after the crash in Washington, a small medical jet crashed into a Philadelphia neighborhood, killing six people. Just a few weeks later, a Delta jet collided at Toronto Pearson International Airport, flipping upside down, injuring 21 people.
Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport was not affected by the crash in Washington, other than suffering from several flight delays, spokesman Tiffany Cherry said.
“We can't say we've taken any additional steps other than the security screening and monitoring that we're doing all the time,” Cherry said.
Similarly, spokeswoman Kim Jamieson Clafton said Columbia International Airport “is not in place for immediate safety measures… not in place.”
Crafton directed the Federal Aviation Administration to question air traffic control and general aviation operations. The FAA declined to request an interview about the crash in Washington.
Military and commercial overlap
The questions are not only directed at commercial airports, South Carolina is home to eight military bases.
Commercial and military aircraft that share airspace are common events.
Charleston Air Base shares two runways with Commercial Jet. Columbia Metropolitan Airport serves both military and commercial flights.
“When they do a test flight on our runway, it is coordinated through air traffic control at the airport,” said Clafton of Columbia. “ATC knows all 'movements on the lamps' well. These test flights, our commercial and private flights are all coordinated and constantly communicated with the ATC. ”
ATC Tower, whose employees are federal workers, declined to comment and directed the FAA to question the question.
Joint Base Charleston, Mantery Joint National Guard Base, Fort Jackson The South Carolina National Guard also did not respond to media inquiries.
Travelers request action and updates
Concerns among frequent flyers have increased with crash drops of multiple planes in the first two months of the year.
Pia Murray, an international university student in the UK, is particularly nervous about how disruptive events will affect future trips from South Carolina.
“As someone who flies a lot, it's scary to know that nothing has changed,” Murray said.
And the crash brought another reminder. Recent FAA data shows that most US air traffic control facilities are understaffed.
Travelers like Murray are concerned.
“We have to at least try and make sure the roles are fully staffed or at least try and tell people that they may not one day,” she said.
The wife of the man killed in the crash in Washington has filed a legal claim seeking $250 million.
Two passengers on the Toronto flight also filed a lawsuit. One lawsuit claims “recklessness” and “inadequate training.”
