The vision of the deadly midair collision between a passenger plane and a military helicopter in Washington shows the helicopter and jet appearing to meet at essentially a right angle just outside the airport.
The vision of the deadly midair collision between a passenger plane and a military helicopter in Washington shows the helicopter and jet appearing to meet at essentially a right angle just outside the airport.
By Michael Koziol
February 1, 2025 — 6.44am
Washington: New, clearer vision has emerged of the deadly midair collision between a passenger plane and a military helicopter in Washington, showing the helicopter and jet appearing to meet at essentially a right angle just outside the airport.
The footage, first obtained and published by CNN, concurs with the known flight paths of the two aircraft, with the helicopter travelling south along the river while the American Airlines flight turned north-west to land on runway 33.
In one video, reportedly captured from a security camera at the airport, the two aircraft are seen bursting into flames upon collision before falling into the Potomac.
It comes as attention focuses on the helicopter’s altitude, said to be too high for the prescribed path it was following, and broader concerns about the volume of helicopter traffic near Ronald Reagan National Airport and staffing at air traffic control centres.
Several US news agencies reported on Friday (Saturday AEDT) that the Federal Aviation Administration had halted the low-altitude helicopter corridor used by the helicopter involved in the crash, which has a height limit of 200 feet.
The FAA did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation. A statement on its website says the National Transportation Safety Board will provide all further updates on the accident; NTSB officials were due to speak in Washington later on Friday, local time.
President Donald Trump continued to front-run the investigation, posting on his TruthSocial: “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???”
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth was more circumspect, noting investigators had not yet recovered the “black box” data recorder from the helicopter.
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“We’re looking at altitude. The president was clear about that … someone was at the wrong altitude,” Hegseth told Fox News. “Was the Black Hawk too high? Was it on course? At the moment, we don’t quite know.”
Other questions investigators would probe involved whether the crew were wearing night vision glasses and whether their depth perception was adequate.
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said Trump was simply stating the helicopter was flying higher than it should have been, “which is one of the reasons that led to this collision”.
She also defended his controversial remarks from the previous day blaming – without evidence – diversity hiring practices implemented by the Biden administration. Asked whether the controller handling incoming traffic at the airport that night was hired or not fired based on their race, Leavitt said: “That investigation is ongoing.”
Officials said 41 bodies had been recovered from the frigid Potomac River as of Friday afternoon. In total, 67 people are presumed dead comprising 60 passengers, four crew members on the American flight and three helicopter pilots. That makes it the deadliest US air disaster since an American Airlines jet crashed after takeoff from New York in November 2001.
District of Columbia fire chief John Connelly said recovery of more bodies would likely require removal of the fuselage first, and crews were moving as fast as possible.
Victims continued to be identified, including Kiah Duggins, a civil rights lawyer and incoming professor at Howard University in Washington, and Lindsey Fields, a biology professor at Butler Community College and president-elect of the National Association of Biology Teachers.
Beyond the specific circumstances of Wednesday night’s crash, broader concerns have resurfaced about the congested airspace at Reagan airport, which is close to downtown Washington and surrounded by numerous military bases. Officials said the helicopter was conducting a routine “continuation of government” training exercise – or practising for an emergency.
Last year, Congress agreed to increase flight slots at the airport despite long-held concerns about congested airspace, raised repeatedly by figures such as Virginia senator Tim Kaine.
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At a press conference on Friday, Terrence Liercke, vice-president and manager of Ronald Reagan National Airport, repeatedly dodged questions from Australia’s Nine News about whether he had concerns about congestion in the airspace, and whether he had raised any concerns directly with the FAA.
Liercke also refused to comment on staffing at the air traffic control tower, saying it was outside his scope of responsibility, and directing all questions to the FAA.
Several US news reports have cited a preliminary document by the FAA that said the staffing configuration at Reagan airport that night was “not normal”, with one controller responsible for both civilian passenger planes and military helicopters.
The duties would typically be separated at that time. However, National Air Traffic Controllers Association president Nick Daniels told CNN that, in general, it was “not uncommon” for such positions to be combined.
with AP
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Michael Koziol is the North America correspondent for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former Sydney editor, Sun-Herald deputy editor and a federal political reporter in Canberra.Connect via Twitter.
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