A military and civilian aviation veteran explains Wednesday night's crash

Several pilots wrote in - I thank you all. I found this explanation both admirably complete and largely apolitical, and I think you will too.

The author’s name is J.R. Rudy. He raises several issues I haven’t heard before, including the crosswinds that were swirling Wednesday night and the lack of a safety observer on the Black Hawk’s training mission. Beyond that - I’d rather let him speak for himself, unedited.

I am responding to your recent note about input from pilots regarding the DCA cra…