I personally do not think that the military has changed any policies in regards to pilot qualifications under DEI.
I did hear a suggestion from Pete Hegseth that pilot error from the helicopter pilot may have been a contributing factor when he referenced altitude. Information has already been leaked out that the helicopter may have been flying above the 200 foot ceiling for that part of the river near the airport. It’s also important to note that the Blackhawk is designed specifically to be difficult to observe, especially at night time, it would have been very difficult for the airliner to see it. That specific helicopter also has smaller rear windows, where generally the crew chief would be looking out looking for other air traffic in the area. Again, this is all information that I’m learning along with everyone else as it’s happening. Some radar reports seemed to corroborate that the air traffic control controller last minute sent out a command for the aircraft to avoid each other. It looks like the helicopter may have pulled up and the airliner dove a little and they met in the middle unfortunately. I believe that’s the most accurate information that has been released so far, but that is not an official release from anyone at this time.
