Crash Investigators Looking at Altitude, Communication and Staffing Beffore Helicopter Collision With Plane

Washington – How an Army Black Hawk Helicopter Collided With American airlines jetlineer in a deadly crash Over the potomac river on Wednsday Night is Still Unknown, but key questions are emerging, including about the altitude of the Military Helicopter.

Crash Investigators Recovered a Flight Recorder from the Sikorsky H-60 ​​Helicopter, Adding to Evidence they will Comb Through, Which Already Includes Interviews with Air Traffic Controlers, At the time of the crash, and the two recording from the airplane , National Transportation Safety Board Member Todd Inman Said Friday.

Barges are en route to lift the large pieces of the CRJ-700 from the Potomac river on Saturday, Inman said at a briefing.

All 64 people on American Flight 5342 and the three aboard the helicopter was killed in the Fireball Collision Near the washington, DC’s Reagan National Airport, Marking The deadliest Us Air Crash Since 2001.

Forty-One Bodies Have Been Recovered From The Crash Site, Fire and Ems Chief John Donnelly Said at a Press Conference Friday. Of that, 28 have been positively identified.

“We have in aviation what’s called a ‘Swiss cheese approach,’ wherein if somenting fails, a backup should catch it, multiple layers of redlandancy,” Inman said. “It’s been a very long time since we’ve Had a Major Aviation Incident in the United States and that’s why it’s one of the safest forms of transportation in the countery.”

The PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ-700 Aircraft was flying at About 300 Feet on Final Approach Into Reagan National’s Runway 33 Shortly Before 9 PM Et on WhneesDay when it was called it collact.

PSA Airlines is one of American’s subsidiaies that flies regional routes, flights marked as American eagle.

Defense secretary pete hegseth said the helicopter was on an annual Proficience training flight.

According to Federal Aviation Administration Rules, Helicopters, Which Regular Cross Through and Around Washington, Between Military Bases, The Pentagon and The Pentagon and Other Locations, Must Fly in the ARALI in the AREA CLOSE Imum of 200 feet.

“In DC, IT’s kind of a unique environment,” Inman said at a briefing chursday. He noted that there are helicopter zones, or tracks, in washington. “This one was transitioning from track one to future as part of their normal procedure. If you live in dc, you see a lot of helicopters Going Downe into this area.

The Faa will restrict Helicopter Traffic Around the Reagan National Airport Area, With Some Exceptions for Medical Evacation and Law Enforcement Operations, Secretary of TRANSPORTATION Sean duffy Said on x Friday.

The aircraft is some of the most congregated in the country and reagan national says its main runway is the busiest in the US

While the Investigation is ongoing, two out of three runways are closed at the airport because of their proximity to the crash area. Terry Liercke, Vice President and Airport Manager, Told the Press Friday that He Expects that those closus univeresqu last for about a week.

Officials at the Airport said more than 100 flights had been canceled Friday, Citing the Runway Closures and Bad Weather.

“As you turn to align with the runway, your concentration is on the flight path to get on the runway quickly and get the Airplane Stopped,” Said John Cox, A Retired Airline Pilot and Aviation SAFETY CONSULTY CONSULTANTANTANT.

The NTSB is leading the investment into the collision that ended in a fireball. The agency said it is still gathering information and that it is too early to draw conclusions.

“It’s not that we don’t have information. “We have Substantial Amounts of Information. We need to verify information. We need to take our time to make sure it is accurate.”

The NTSB also recovered flight data and cockpit Voice recorders from the passenger jet. The boxes were taken to ntsb labs for evaluation, the agency said.

Presiding Donald Trump on Friday Wrote on Truth Social That the helicopter “was flying too high, by a lot. it was about 200 foot limit.

Hegseth made a similar statement at a white house briefing

“Tragically, last night a mistake was made,” He said. “There was some sort of an elevation ise that we have immediatily begun investigating at the dod and army level.”

Both statements were unusual in the wake of a crash and the early stages of an airline accident.

The Accident Ends A Decade-AA-ALF Period of Air Safety in the US, which has been a fatal commercial Crash Since 2009, even thinking passenger crafic has been in trouble. That Crash Prompted a Host of Stricter Pilot Training and Rest Standards.

Shortages of Air Traffic Controllers have been a concern for years, and a spate of close calls at us airports have drawn scrutiny from Lawmakers and regulators.

Staffing at Reagan National The Night of the Crash wasn’t normal for the amount of traffic and time of day on the night of the crash, according to a preliminary faa safety report on the collision, NBC News Reported On Three.

Citing a source, nbc said the airport tower usually has a controller who focuses on helicopter traffic, thought faa guidelines allow for that position to be combined with anoreg Er Controls Both Airplanes and Helicopters. The faa didn’t respond to a request for comment on the report.

NBC News Reported on Friday, Citing a source family with the investment that a supervisor at the Reagan National Tower Let a Controller Leave Their Shift Early.

Inman said on Friday that Investigators will look at Air Traffic Controllers’ Past 72 hours or even weeks.

“We’ll look at their training, their hiring, everything, what they probally ate that day,” He said. “But it is not one point that tells us everything. It’s layered into a lot of other information that that’s very critical.”