The crash between the American Airlines plane and the US Army Black Hawk helicopter is one of the deadliest US air collisions in recent years. Sadly, all of the people onboard the jet and the helicopter presumed dead.
The jet carried 64 people while the Black Hawk had three members of the military onboard at the time of the tragedy.
Daily Mail reports that the National Transportation Safety Board revealed that flight data recorder and black box from the DC aircraft crash contain altitude readings that could shed light on the cause of the accident.
The American Airlines Flight 5342 was cruising at about 325ft, with a 25ft margin of error on either side. Data from the control tower showed that the Black Hawk was flying at an altitude of about 200ft.
Experts have yet to explain the approximate 100-foot difference in altitude readings. However, if the crash happened at the altitude the plane was reported to be at, the collision happened at an altitude above the maximum of what a helicopter can safely operate at in the area.
At the time being, investigators are trying to retrieve data from the helicopter’s black box, which became waterlogged after submerging into icy waters of the Potomac River.
Hopefully, they would be able to reconcile the differences in the altitude.
Speaking of the ongoing investigation, Brice Banning, NTSB investigator in charge, said, “This is a complex investigation. There are a lot of pieces here. Our team is working hard to gather this data.”
Further, he added the jet’s black boxes revealed the crew having a verbal reaction. As the plane started to increase its pitch, “sounds of impact were audible about one second later, followed by the end of the recording,” Banning added.
President Trump gave his insight into the collision. He said that the helicopter was flying “too high,” and “far above its 200 foot limit.” He added: “That’s not really too complicated to understand, is it???”
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