Preliminary data from the deadliest U.S. aviation disaster in over 25 years revealed inconsistent readings about the heights of an airliner and an Army helicopter when they crashed at Reagan National Airport in Washington, killing everyone on board both planes, officials said Saturday.
According to investigators, around a second before impact, the jet’s flight recorder revealed a pitch shift. However, they did not specify if the change in angle indicated that the pilots were attempting to make an evasive maneuver to escape the accident.
When the plane crashed Wednesday night, data from its flight recorder revealed its altitude as 325 feet (99 meters), plus or minus 25 feet (7.6 meters), according to National Transportation Safety Board authorities. However, data from the control tower indicated that the Black Hawk chopper was at 200 feet (61 meters) at the time.
The around 100-foot (30-meter) difference has yet to be explained.
Investigators seek to reconcile the altitude disparities with data from the helicopter’s black box, which is taking longer to collect due to water damage after it crashed into the Potomac River. They also stated that they intend to improve the tower data, which may be less credible.
“That’s what our job is, to figure that out,” said NTSB member Todd Inman, who became frustrated during a Saturday evening news conference as reporters pressed for additional information and clarity regarding the readings.
He said that there was disagreement among the investigators about whether to share the material or wait until they got additional evidence.
According to officials, the helicopter’s highest allowable height at the time was 200 feet (61 meters).
The crash happened while an American Airlines aircraft from Wichita, Kansas, with 64 people on board, was ready to land at Ronald Reagan National Airport, just over the Potomac from the capital. The Army Black Hawk chopper, which seems to have flown into the jet’s path, was carrying three troops.
“This is a complex investigation,” stated Brice Banning, the NTSB investigator in charge. “There are several bits here. “Our team is working hard to collect this data.”
Banning also talked about the final minutes of the jet’s two black boxes, which recorded sound in the cockpit and flight data.
“The crew had a verbal reaction,” Banning said, adding that the data recorder showed “the airplane beginning to increase its pitch.” Impact sounds could be heard around a second later, followed by the conclusion of the tape.
Inman expressed irritation that such incidents occur, stating that the board has made “several hundred” suggestions to enhance aviation that have not been implemented.
“We learn from tragedies in order to improve our overall safety. That’s what we’re doing right now; we’re dealing with sorrow, but we need to increase safety,” he explained.
“Do you want to do something about it?” Adopt the NTSB recommendation. “You’ll save lives,” he added, adding that he’s spent hours with the victims’ families since the accident. “I don’t want to have to meet with those parents like that again.”
He stated the families are struggling.
“Some wanted to hug us. “Some are just mad and angry,” Inman explained. “They’re simply all hurt. And they still want answers, and we want to provide them.”
Earlier Saturday, salvage teams and divers scoured the river and removed wreckage. A Coast Guard cutter equipped with a crane waited nearby, and occasional rescue team members slid into the sea among a number of smaller emergency boats.
As of the afternoon, the bodies of 42 persons had been recovered from the river, with 38 of them positively identified, according to Washington emergency authorities. They intend to collect all of the remains, however the plane’s fuselage will most likely have to be hauled from the sea to retrieve the rest.
On Saturday, the Army recognized Cpt. Rebecca M. Lobach of Durham, North Carolina, as the third soldier killed in the crash. The other two’s identities were disclosed on Friday, but Lobach’s was kept at the time at her family’s request.
Army sources stated that the chopper crew was extremely experienced and familiar with the city’s busy airspace. Military planes routinely perform such flights to rehearse routes for evacuating senior government leaders in the event of an attack or significant disaster.
Investigators are looking into the activities of the military pilot and air traffic controllers. The FAA has long contended with a controller deficit.
Full NTSB investigations usually last at least a year, but investigators aim to have a preliminary report within 30 days.
According to authorities, more than 300 responders are now involved in the recovery operation. Following a wet Friday, sunny sky and warmer temperatures improved conditions for field workers on Saturday. Two Navy salvage barges were also dispatched to lift the hefty wreckage.
“This is heartbreaking work,” Washington Fire Chief John Donnelly Sr. told reporters on Friday. “It’s been a tough response for a lot of our people.”
With the country already mourning the collision, an air ambulance plowed into a major intersection in Philadelphia on Friday night, killing all six passengers on board, including a toddler who had just received hospital care, and at least one person on the ground. At least three people remained hospitalized on Saturday due to injuries, and officials indicated it might be days before the complete death and injury toll is known.
In Washington, the FAA severely limited helicopter traffic at Reagan National Airport on Friday, hours after President Donald Trump claimed in a social media post that the chopper was flying higher than permitted.
However, a day after questioning the helicopter pilot’s behavior and claiming, without providing proof, that diversity measures had jeopardized aviation safety, Trump stated the chopper was “flying too high.”
“It was much beyond the 200-foot limit. That’s not that difficult to grasp, is it??? Trump posted a Truth Social post.
Wednesday’s disaster was the worst in the United States since November 12, 2001, when a flight collided with a residential area in the New York City borough of Queens shortly after departure from Kennedy Airport. The collision killed all 260 persons on board and five on the ground.
Experts frequently emphasize that air travel is largely safe, yet the congested airspace near Reagan National may test even the most seasoned pilots.
