There's tragedy in Washington DC, with 67 people feared dead after an army helicopter reportedly collided with an American Airlines plane and both crashed into the Potomac River. The incident took place near Reagan National Airport, where a Black Hawk helicopter is thought to have hit American Airlines Flight 5342 when the latter was attempting to land.
At least 19 bodies have been recovered, although all 67 are feared dead.
The American Airlines jet was flying from Wichita, Kansas, with 60 passengers and four crew. The Black Hawk helicopter was carrying three army personnel.
In the aftermath, Air Traffic Control (ATC) audio has emerged. As shared by CNN, operators can be heard asking the military helicopter if it can see the commercial flight.
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A concerned ATC controller says: “PAT 2-5 do you have the CRJ in sight?"
They then add: "Pat 2-5 pass behind the CRJ."
The helicopter pilot says: "PAT 2-5 has aircraft in sight, request visual separation."
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Shortly after this, there are audible gasps and a loud 'ooh' that apparently comes from the tower at the time of the crash.
Audio then captures ATC warning a different pilot about what happened: "I don’t know if you caught earlier what happened, but there was a collision on the approach end of 3-3.
“We are going to be shutting down operations for the indefinite future if you want to go back to the gate.
"Highly suggest you guys coordinate with the company. Let me know what you want to do.”
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Elsewhere in the audio, another pilot reveals that they saw the crash, adding: "Yeah, we were on short final, and we saw flares from the opposite side of the Potomac.”
An approach controller concluded: “Apparently both aircraft involved are in the river, a search and rescue will be ongoing."
Flights from DCA were halted and various planes were diverted while search and rescue missions got underway.
CBS' national correspondent Kris Van Cleave was the one who reported that at least 19 bodies have been recovered, with him claiming the American Airlines flight is lying in 5-8 feet of water in 'multiple’ pieces. The dive team has reportedly found one of the plane's two black boxes, divers have had 'some' access to its cabin, and luggage is among the items already recovered. In contrast, the Black Hawk helicopter is upside down but 'mostly' intact.
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Former RAF pilot and broadcaster George Bacon told BBC that military helicopters are known to fly near passenger planes: "I've flown as a military pilot in the US and I'm somewhat familiar with the airspace around Washington DC. It's highly congested but civilian and military traffic share one radio frequency."
He went on to claim that US military pilots tend to have more freedom when compared to those in UK airspace: "The military regulate themselves and pilots can choose to fly where they want and need to. In controlled airspace like this, they would still have freedom to take avoiding action, but they would be following the direction of the controller. The emphasis is that they must look - it's known as 'see and avoid'."
President Donald Trump has been fully briefed on the accident, posting on his Truth Social platform: "This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!"