Lobach was aboard the helicopter with Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O’Hara, 28, and co-pilot Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39, who was serving as her flight instructor.
Transcripts of the chopper’s conversations with air traffic control have provided additional information about what went wrong before to the tragedy, the US publication said.
Air traffic controllers had alerted the helicopter’s crew that an airliner was approaching, and Lobach and Eaves were said to have confirmed this information.
Then, one of the military pilots requested that they fly by “visual separation,” which meant that they would be responsible for keeping a safe
Distance from other people using their own discretion while keeping an eye on any surrounding aerial activity.
Instead than depending on air traffic control’s direction, it is a frequent practice for personnel operating the aircraft to make their own observations.
