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Dramatic new footage has emerged of the American Airlines crash shows that lights on the aircraft and Army helicopter could be observed from more than a mile away before the collision.
Authorities have confirmed that 67 died after the jet collided with a Black Hawk helicopter on Wednesday evening, causing the plane to tumble into the Potomac river.
The footage captures the plane approaching Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, with lights from both aircraft flashing.
A fireball erupts as the jet collides into the helicopter, creating an explosion of light in the sky.
President Donald Trump said on Friday that the helicopter was flying too high at the time of the accident, in what appeared to be a major disclosure about the investigation.
US military helicopters regularly fly a route over the Potomac river near the busy airport, known as Route 4. For safety reasons, the altitude on those helicopter flights is capped at 200ft.
"The Blackhawk helicopter was flying too high, by a lot. It was far above the 200 foot limit. That’s not really too complicated to understand, is it???" Mr Trump said in a Truth Social post.
The crash remains under investigation by federal transportation authorities.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Thursday that there appeared to have been an elevation issue with the Black Hawk, and that Army investigators were on the ground looking into the matter.
However the Pentagon has said that the three crew members of the helicopter were experienced. The instructor pilot, who was the designated pilot in command, had 1,000 flying hours while the other pilot had 500 hours.
The third soldier was a crew chief, typically riding in the back of the helicopter.
