The American Airlines passenger plane fell into the Potomak River in Washington, D.C.. He collided in the air with a Black Hawk military chopper that was on a training flight. A tragic collision occurred on the approach to landing at Ronald Reagan Airport. According to the airline's information, there were 64 people on board the aircraft, a military chopper was flown by 3 US Army soldiers. Rescue action is underway, 18 bodies have been recovered from the river so far. American media published fragments of air traffic control footage.
A plane crash in Washington. The control tower talks about a “ball of fire”
The recordings from the control tower, published by CNN, include an exchange of views between the tower and the chopper crew. Just before the collision, the controller asked Black Hawk's pilot if he could see the plane. Then most likely a disaster occurred.
— most likely in the mediate of the river. I just saw a fireball and then disappeared – you can hear the voice from the air traffic control tower on the video made available on X. I haven't seen anything since they hit the river.
In another passage of the recording you can hear the controller informing and information about closing traffic at the airport. “I don’t know if you’ve seen what happened before, but there has been a collision on approach 33 and we will close operations for an indefinite period,” says the controller on a video made available by CNN. “We have witnessed the full event,” he adds. The video besides shows that the situation was seen by a pilot of another aircraft, who mentioned a "light" on the other side of the Potomac.
According to Miles O’Brien, a CNN expert, these recordings and witness statements may be crucial in determining the origin of the disaster. “ Witnesses are much better informed than street witnesses,” said O’Brien on CNN, “pilots who have seen this may shed light on the investigation,” he added. The expert besides wonders whether the pilot of the aircraft tried to usage the strategy on board to avoid the collision and whether he could have utilized it in this peculiar situation.
