Audio from air traffic control shows the reaction from operators after a passenger jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter collided midair Wednesday night near Washington, D.C., crashing into the Potomac River.
"PAT-25, do you have the CRJ in sight? PAT-25 pass behind the CRJ" can be heard in the audio. "Did you see that?" A voice asks, before ordering other aircraft to redirect and land immediately at other airports.
"Black Jack Three, can you return to base. Black Jack Three, proceed directly, I need you to land," an operator says. "I need you to land immediately, could you go to Dulles for a few minutes. Contact Dulles air," the operator adds. Shortly after, an aircraft is asked whether it can go to Baltimore.
The accident involved American Eagle Flight 5342, operated by PSA Airlines, which was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members. The Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk was on a training flight with three soldiers aboard.
The collision occurred around 9 p.m., when the American Eagle flight, which had departed from Wichita, Kansas, earlier in the evening, neared Ronald Reagan National Airport.
A livestream camera at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., seemed to capture the moment of the impact, showing an explosion over the Potomac River at 8:47 p.m. Search and rescue teams, including police boats and divers, began operations overnight.
Officials have recovered over 30 bodies from the water, NBC News reported. "It's a highly complex operation," District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Chief John Donnelly said. "The conditions are extremely rough."
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