iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Imogen Piper @imogenpiper.bsky.social · 22/12/2025

Seconds later, the helicopter collides with the CRJ. A fireball erupts over the river. Air traffic controllers gasp. All 67 people aboard both aircraft were killed.

020

Imogen Piper @imogenpiper.bsky.social · 22/12/2025

The helicopter crew responds saying they have the aircraft in sight, and again request visual separation. Transcripts from the helicopter's internal voice recorder show the instructor telling the pilot to come to the left. "We're kinda out towards the middle."

120

Imogen Piper @imogenpiper.bsky.social · 22/12/2025

Our final NVG reconstruction image shows the location of the CRJ just before it's about the turn and fly over the river. 17 seconds before the collision, ATC tells the helicopter to "Pass behind the CRJ". But, the transmission was stepped on, meaning "pass behind" was not audible in the cockpit.

110

Imogen Piper @imogenpiper.bsky.social · 22/12/2025

From the helicopter's perspective the CRJ is positioned over the bright lights of the National Harbor. This waterfront area has become three times brighter in the past 10 years as it has been built up with the addition of the MGM casino, according to a light analysis by The Post.

120

Imogen Piper @imogenpiper.bsky.social · 22/12/2025

Night vision goggles narrow the field of vision, requiring pilots to continuously scan the sky. Its from here, 90 seconds before the crash, that we were able to produce our NVG reconstruction. The CRJ arcs over the bright city lights, while the airbus is flying straight over the dark river.

100

Imogen Piper @imogenpiper.bsky.social · 22/12/2025

The CRJ was headed toward runway 33, a lesser-used runway which requires an arced approach over the east bank of the Potomac. Because runway 1 is used around 95% of the time, the helicopter crew could have had expectation bias and have been focused on the Runway 1 approach.

100

Imogen Piper @imogenpiper.bsky.social · 22/12/2025

When Air Traffic control first alerted the helciopter to the presence of the plane (CRJ), a larger Airbus was flying behind it. From the heliopter crew's perspectvie, the two planes would have almost overlapped, providing an opportunity from on to be mistaken for the other.

120

Imogen Piper @imogenpiper.bsky.social · 22/12/2025

For months we have been working to recreate the view from the helicopter cockpit and the light conditions the crew may have encountered. We flew a drone along the helicopter's route. We filmed incoming planes through night vision goggles. We created a 3D model of the D.C. area.

110

Imogen Piper @imogenpiper.bsky.social · 22/12/2025

The NTSB has been looking into whether city lights could have made it difficult for the helicopter crew to track the plane. And whether night vision goggles the crew is believed to have been using could have made it even trickier.

110

Imogen Piper @imogenpiper.bsky.social · 06/05/2025

Our Visual Forensics/International coverage of Israeli atrocities in Gaza was announced last night a Pulitzer Prize finalist! The nominated stories were reported with rigor and care. They centre human stories and harness innovative techniques to uncover hidden truths from afar. Proud of our team!

050

Imogen Piper @imogenpiper.bsky.social · 10/04/2025

Unable to publish crucial satellite imagery evidence from the moments after the incident, we recreated the scene in 3D. Six emergency vehicles are visible in a hole just south of where medics' bodies would be exhumed a week later. 20 IDF vehicles are within a 0.5mile radius.

074

Imogen Piper @imogenpiper.bsky.social · 10/04/2025

While the Israeli military said the soldiers shot from afar, gunfire was initially 150 feet away or less when they opened fire on the convoy of emergency vehicles and later was within about 50 feet, according to the estimates of two audio forensics experts who analyzed audio for The Post.

193

Imogen Piper @imogenpiper.bsky.social · 18/03/2025

Palestinian paramedics said Israel gave them safe passage to save a 6-year-old girl in Gaza. They were all killed. Gift link - t.co/m5uFT5qIqo

003

Imogen Piper @imogenpiper.bsky.social · 18/03/2025

Israel is demolishing northern Gaza and fortifying military positions, imagery shows Gift link - t.co/8TsOCvDB1o

101

Imogen Piper @imogenpiper.bsky.social · 18/03/2025

Threading some of the stories that won... Drone footage raises questions about Israeli justification for deadly strike on Gaza journalists Gift link - t.co/PYrw8C9H5u

100

Imogen Piper @imogenpiper.bsky.social · 18/03/2025

It is an immense honor to be awarded The Shireen Abu Akleh Award for continuing coverage of a conflict from @opcofamerica.bsky.social for our accountability-driven stories about the war in Gaza. We will continue to report on this war, as we are doing today.

3164

Imogen Piper @imogenpiper.bsky.social · 14/02/2025

At this point if the helicopter pilot had misidentified the incoming plane for one further behind, it would have become increasingly difficult for them to realize their mistake as the AA 5342 jet's lights merged with the city lights below as it arced to the east preparing to land at runway 33.

041

Imogen Piper @imogenpiper.bsky.social · 14/02/2025

Our examination shows how the American Airlines jet, AA5342, and the second plane AA3130, though separated by miles, would have appeared close to one another near the horizon and the helicopter crew could have confused the two jets when the tower first warned of incoming air traffic.

221

Imogen Piper @imogenpiper.bsky.social · 12/01/2025

Sentinel-2 satellite imagery taken on Tuesday at 10:45 a.m., around 20 minutes after the Palisades Fire began, indicates that the origin of the smoke overlapped with the burn scar from the New Year’s Eve fire. Smoke extends in the direction of the wind, to the south.

020

Imogen Piper @imogenpiper.bsky.social · 12/01/2025

The Post identified the burn scar of the New Year’s Eve fire using false-color satellite imagery taken before and after the blaze. The near-infrared spectral band helps track changes to vegetation in satellite imagery. Healthy plant cover appears red, while the scorched ground appears blue to brown.

130

Imogen Piper @imogenpiper.bsky.social · 23/12/2024

New clearings and demolitions over the last two months were concentrated in the south of Jabalya, flattening almost half of the camp, including the main market area. As of Dec. 1, a third of all buildings across the North Gaza governate had been destroyed since the beginning of the war.

0137

Imogen Piper @imogenpiper.bsky.social · 23/12/2024

The establishment of this corridor, the clearing of tracts of land on either side of it and the construction of square-shaped protected outposts resemble the IDF’s transformation of the Netzarim Corridor, a strategic Israeli military zone in the center of Gaza, analysts said.

2144

Imogen Piper @imogenpiper.bsky.social · 23/12/2024

The visual evidence shows almost half of Jabalya refugee camp was demolished or cleared between Oct. 14 and Dec. 15, connecting a preexisting road in the west to an expanded vehicle track in the east — carving out a military axis that stretches from the sea to the border fence with Israel.

11812

Imogen Piper @imogenpiper.bsky.social · 13/08/2024

Paratroopers arrived at Miqdad's home to rescue the hostages & special forces after their vehicle broke down. Miqdad told The Post troops shot two of his grandsons; one, 12yr old Yamen, later died in the hospital. Helmet cam shows the civilian escape vehicles parked out front.

000

Imogen Piper @imogenpiper.bsky.social · 13/08/2024

After the vehicle carrying the three male hostages was shot at and broke down on the way out of Nuseirat, the forces stopped outside the family home of Abdul Raouf Miqdad and waited for paratroopers to arrive to rescue them.

100

Imogen Piper @imogenpiper.bsky.social · 13/08/2024

A video filmed half a mile from the site of the raid, shows the aftermath of a strike. At least 15 people are dead or severely wounded. Another large strike is recorded near a busy market. Because the raid is occurring during the day, the streets are full.

100

Imogen Piper @imogenpiper.bsky.social · 13/08/2024

Minutes later, the first airstrikes hit. The Post verified visual evidence of least 13 airstrikes, that destroyed at least 17 structures. The strikes spanned a mile across Nuseirat and lasted for nearly four hours, including after the hostages had been evacuated.

100

Imogen Piper @imogenpiper.bsky.social · 13/08/2024

On the morning of June 8, Israeli commandos stormed two apartments in Nuseirat to free 4 hostages held by Hamas. At one building, a team climbed ladders from a civilian Mercedes van, whilst another entered from the other side. They reach the hostages, but a firefight ensues.

100