Video: New Angle Shows How Midair Washington Plane-Helicopter Crash Unfolded
New video has been released purporting to show the midair collision between an American Airlines jet and a U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter over Washington on Wednesday night from a new angle.
As Breitbart News reported, American Airlines flight 5342, with 60 passengers and four crew, was in the final minutes of its journey from Wichita, Kansas — where some figure skaters onboard had taken part in a competition and training camp.
Meanwhile, a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter with three military personnel was flying at the same altitude over the Potomac River during what was described as a routine nighttime training flight.
The two collided with deadly results. Watch below as the new video unfolds:
Air traffic audio recorded in the immediate aftermath of the crash has been released, Sky News reports.
A controller says: “Um, I just saw a fireball and then it was just gone. I haven’t seen anything since they hit the river. But it was a CRJ [the type of plane that crashed] and a helicopter that hit, I would say a half-mile off the approach.”
Within minutes, the controllers began redirecting other planes in the region.
U.S. military helicopters regularly fly a route over the Potomac river near the busy Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, known as Route 4.
For safety reasons, the altitude on those helicopter flights is capped at 200 feet.
A “highly complex” search and rescue operation has since found no survivors from the tragedy.
