Tragic Accident Or Cyber Attack

Sean Duffy - Newly appointed Secretary of Transportation.

"What happened yesterday should not have happened. When Americans take off in airplanes, they should expect to land in an airplane." – Sean Duffy

Pete Hegseth Secretary Of Defense- "Some sort of elevation issue, this should not have happened"

Washington Plane Crash | ATC Audio As Passenger Jet Collides With Army Helicopter at Reagan Airport

Yesterday, a little before 21:00, a military Black Hawk helicopter collided midair with American Airlines Flight 5342. The plane, carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, along with the helicopter, violently descended into the freezing waters of the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. Reports indicate that the helicopter was on a training flight with a crew of three military personnel. Since aircrafts were invented, fatal mid-air collisions have been exceedingly rare.

How could something so tragic happen?

During any military night operation or training exercise, it is required that aircraft have functional lighting and night vision goggles. These aircraft lights include red, green, and white position lights, an anti-collision light, and landing lights. However, in certain situations—such as war zones or restricted training areas—lights can be turned off. This wan't the case for the Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk late Wednesday night. Lights were on for both aircrafts.

Some argue that, even better than external lighting, especially in certain situations that lack directional visibility is the Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) this is very good and should prevent midair collisions. TCAS is an airborne avionics system designed to reduce the risk of midair collisions (MAC) by using secondary surveillance radar (SSR) transponder signals. It operates independently of ground-based air traffic control (ATC), continuously monitoring the airspace for nearby aircraft equipped with active transponders. TCAS alerts pilots to potential threats and, in advanced versions, provides instructions to avoid collisions.

Is it possible that either the American Airlines flight or the Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk had faulty systems—or that they were even turned off intentionally? That seems unlikely, especially given that this occurred in Washington, D.C., one of the most heavily guarded airspaces in the world.

Is it a coincidence that Marine One, the President’s helicopter, flies the same route? Or could this have been a warning?

In an age of artificial intelligence (AI) and growing cyber warfare between China and the U.S., it’s reasonable to ask: Was either aircraft compromised by a cyber attack, rendering it unable to maneuver and ultimately causing the crash? Could this be the workings by a foreign nation or a terrorist organization?

These possibilities must be investigated. If this sounds like science fiction, think again.

Back in 2019, an article by Marcus Weisgerber, published on Defense One, discussed how new technology aims to detect when an aircraft has been hacked. Inside most aircraft, crucial electronics communicate via a serial data bus—a system developed in the 1970s that still lacks modern security protections. According to a cyber-resiliency product manager at Raytheon, “Your GPS talks on it, your fuel valve switches are on it, your autopilot is on it, and other avionics systems all communicate over this bus. As technology advances and more commercial products are integrated into aircraft, the attack surface for cyber threats increases.”

The Pentagon has been increasingly vocal about weapon system vulnerabilities and the need for stronger cybersecurity measures. In August 2019, The Washington Post reported that Air Force-sponsored hackers had found cyber vulnerabilities in the F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet.

Hackers can infiltrate military and commercial aircraft, vehicles, and even weapons by introducing malware—whether by plugging an infected device into a USB port or wirelessly injecting malicious code. In one demonstration, a hacker took control of a helicopter by injecting malicious code wirelessly from a tablet, shutting down the engines. Though the pilot was able to disable the helicopter’s wireless receiver, he could not stop the aircraft from crashing.

Just days before this deadly crash, Trump warned that China’s DeepSeek AI breakthrough was a “wake-up call” for U.S. technology. As of January 29, 2025, the U.S. Navy has officially banned its members from using DeepSeek AI, citing security and ethical concerns.

So again, is it really that far-fetched to ask whether this was an intentional act? Or should we simply plead ignorance; accidents happen.