…information from an air traffic control radar has confirmed investigators’ fears that the military chopper was 100 feet above where it was meant to be flying at the time of the fiery crash.

The helicopter, flown by 28-year-old Captain Rebecca M. Lobach on a routine training exercise, was flying at 300 feet, but the maximum altitude permitted for choppers in the area is 200 feet.

Reagan National Airport is notoriously crowded, and the crossover in the air space between jets and helicopters is routine.

The black box data recovered from the wreckage in the Potomac River had indicated that this situation likely occurred, but the National Transport Safety Board was waiting on the air traffic control data to confirm the high altitude.

Radar data is rounded to the nearest 100 feet, which means the helicopter was flying anywhere between 251 feet and 349 feet of elevation, the NTSB said.

Meanwhile, the passenger plane was at 325 feet at the time of the crash and had been cleared to land. 

link

The following is entirely speculative based on some pattern recognition. I am willing to change my views if shown to be wrong. One assumption is Lobach does appear to have been promoted above her experience and skill level. Call it DEI or whatever. In many of her photos she projects a cockiness that is not appropriate for someone operation dangerous machinery, including helicopters. One of her friends described her as ‘fearless’, also not good for a helicopter pilot. She had worked in the Biden admin for two years in a non-flyer capacity, so her flight skills must have been rusty. All of that could have led to the tragic crash. Overconfident, rusty, 28 years old, high on life, fearless, promoted above her actual skill level and experience, entrusted with what should have been a routine run… ABN