Harrowing audio from the air traffic control tower has been released from the moments just before and after American Airlines Flight 5342 collided with a military helicopter above Washington, DC.
Authorities have confirmed that the regional passenger plane, which had departed from Wichita, KS, was carrying 60 passengers and four crew, while three military service members were aboard the Black Hawk helicopter. After the collision, both aircraft crashed into the Potomac River. At least 18 bodies have been retrieved from the river. No survivors have been found.
Search and rescue continues with over 300 local first responders and an FBI dive team, but conditions in the river are difficult.
Audio from the air traffic control tower has been released following the fateful collision of an American Airlines flight with an Army helicopter
Image credits: KREM 2 NEWS
“The water that we’re operating in is about 8 feet deep, there is wind, there is pieces of ice out there so it’s just dangerous and hard to work in,” said DC Fire and EMS Chief John A. Donnelly Sr. “The water is dark, it is murky, and that is a very tough condition for them to dive in.” Rescue efforts will continue into the following days.
In the hours since the plane crash, audio recordings from the air traffic control tower and their communications with both aircraft shed light on the tragedy.
In one chilling clip, the air traffic controller at Reagan International Airport can be heard asking the Black Hawk helicopter if they have “the CRJ in sight,” referring to the passenger jet. He then tells it to “pass behind the CRJ,” after which the military aircraft confirms, “PAT25 has the aircraft in sight, maintaining visual separation.”
Just moments later, other voices can be heard gasping in the tower. A woman appears to exclaim “Oh my God.”
Immediately following the crash, another voice says, “Did you see that?” The air traffic controller then proceeds to rapidly direct other planes to land or divert to Dulles International Airport.
The military helicopter confirms visual sighting of the passenger jet just before workers in the tower can be heard gasping
CNN additionally reported the controller detailing the crash to a pilot on the tarmac: “I don’t know if you caught earlier what happened, but there was a collision on the approach end of 3-3. We are going to be shutting down operations for the indefinite future if you want to go back to the gate.”
Another pilot was recorded describing the incident from their point of view: “Yeah, we were on short final, and we saw flares from the opposite side of the Potomac.”
The most detailed description comes from separate audio where an air traffic controller contacts fire command: “It was probably out in the middle of the river. I just saw a fireball and then it was gone. So I haven’t seen anything since they hit the river, but it was a CRJ and a helicopter that hit.”
A passenger plane crashed in the Potomac River after colliding midair with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter
As previously reported by Bored Panda, the deadly collision took place as the regional American Airlines jet was flying near Washington, DC, carrying a confirmed 60 passengers and four crew members on board.
The American Airlines Flight 5342 had departed from Wichita, Kansas, and was on its way to Reagan National Airport when the deadly collision took place.
“The accident happened in the river,” a dispatcher was heard saying in scanner audio obtained from air traffic control. “Both the helicopter and the plane crashed in the river.”
Heather Chairez, spokesperson for the Joint Task Force-National Capital Region, said three soldiers were aboard the helicopter and were participating in a training flight when the collision took place.
“We can confirm that the aircraft involved in tonight’s incident was an Army UH-60 helicopter from Bravo Company, 12th Aviation Battalion, out of Davison Army Airfield, Fort Belvoir during a training flight,” a military official told NBC News.
The harrowing audio has provoked strong reactions and speculation online
The audio’s release has provoked a range of reactions online. Some questioned how the crash could have occurred when the helicopter had just confirmed having the passenger jet in sight, theorizing that the pilot must have confused it for another plane.
“I teach blackhawk pilots how to fly at night,” @SnakPakFlight commented on X. “You can hear the Blackhawk pilot confirm visual of the jet 5 seconds before impact. Could have been looking at another aircraft.”
“I wonder if the BlackHawk was looking right at the airplane taking off and not the incoming plane to his left,” speculated @King_Kyle.
Many tried to assign blame.
“The key phrase on the recording is ‘visual separation approved,’” wrote @PhilipGreenspun, who claimed to be a “helicopter instructor and also CRJ pilot flying in and out of DCA.” “That’s ATC transferring responsibility for collision-avoidance to the Black Hawk crew.”
@Snakeriver123 commented: “The helo was flying VFR so it was visual only on the helo. The plane was in there [sic] blind spot directly above. So there will be an investigation my guess is this will not be friendly to the air traffic controller.”
And naturally, some jumped straight into conspiracy theories.
Image credits: KOMO News
“Intentional,” wrote one X user.
“Looks deliberate on the part of the helicopter,” wrote another.
One particularly skeptical commenter postulated: “Russia hacking BH? Weren’t we warned there will be terror in the skies abt a week ago?”
The US Federal Aviation Commission (FAA) is already investigating the fateful crash together with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
Watch the harrowing audio here
Image credits: DanNews
Image credits: Tony Dortie
“I wonder what went wrong”: netizens flooded social media with theories about what happened
