I accept the helo crew screwed up. I always did.
Especially if what I think I heard is true and they were wearing NVG’s at the time. In a well lit area, that creates more problems for the crew. Then there is the radar equipment that was turned off, which should only be turned off in situations where you don’t want to be tracked.
The helicopter crew is definitely negligent.
Yes, it’s perfectly clear they saw the wrong plane. It’s clear NOW. It needs to be clear before the accident.
Going forward the point is to prevent this from happening. If no changes are made on the side of ATC Communication, then they are not fixing the problem. We’re not talking about flying in and out of Omaha. Sure, the flight path cannot take you over Offutt, and vis versa. But it’s not a tight airspace. In DC, You have helo’s and plane in close proximity, with documented Close-calls in the past, you need to look at the whole scope of operating in an airport environment.