WASHINGTON — The circumstances surrounding the collision between an Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines jetliner over the Potomac River on Wednesday night remain unknown, prompting key questions, particularly regarding the military helicopter’s altitude.
Investigators retrieved a flight recorder from the Sikorsky H-60 helicopter, adding to the evidence they are examining, which includes interviews with air traffic controllers, including the one on duty during the crash, and the two recorders from the airplane, according to National Transportation Safety Board member Todd Inman on Friday.
Barges are on their way to lift the large pieces of the CRJ-700 from the Potomac River on Saturday, Inman mentioned during a briefing.
The collision resulted in the deaths of all 64 individuals on American Flight 5342 and the three aboard the helicopter near Washington, D.C.’s Reagan National Airport, marking the deadliest U.S. air crash since 2001.
Forty-one bodies have been recovered from the crash site, as reported by Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly at a press conference on Friday, with 28 of them positively identified.
“In D.C., it’s kind of a unique environment,” Inman stated during a briefing on Thursday, referring to the helicopter zones or tracks in Washington. “This one was transitioning from track one to four as part of their normal procedure.”
The Federal Aviation Administration will restrict helicopter traffic around the Reagan National Airport area, with some exceptions for medical evacuation and law enforcement operations, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy stated on Friday.
The investigation is ongoing, with two out of three runways closed at the airport due to their proximity to the crash area. Terry Liercke, vice president and airport manager, anticipates that these closures could last about a week.
The NTSB is leading the investigation into the collision, recovering flight data and cockpit voice recorders from the passenger jet for evaluation at NTSB labs.
President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made statements regarding the incident, emphasizing an elevation issue with the helicopter.
The crash marks the end of a period of air safety in the U.S., which had not seen a fatal commercial crash since 2009, despite a significant increase in passenger traffic.
