What began as a routine evening flight turned into a tragic disaster in the skies above the Potomac River, and now, newly released footage and recordings are shedding light on the terrifying final moments.
A U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and a commercial passenger jet collided mid-air in what is now the deadliest airline crash in the U.S. in over 20years
CCTV Captures the Catastrophic Collision
At the start of a three-day hearing by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), investigators played chilling CCTV footage showing the moment of impact.
A huge flash lit up the night sky as the Black Hawk helicopter slammed into American Airlines Flight 5342 just minutes before it was due to land at Reagan National Airport.
The commercial jet—a Bombardier CRJ700—had taken off from Wichita, Kansas, and was descending for landing when it was struck.
All 67 people aboard both aircraft died instantly: 64 passengers and crew on the jet, and three crew members on the Black Hawk.
Misjudged Altitude and Faulty Equipment
According to investigators, the tragedy stemmed in part from the helicopter crew misjudging their altitude.
The Black Hawk, part of Priority Air Transport 25, was on a low-level training flight headed to Fort Belvoir in Virginia.
But investigators believe the helicopter’s altimeter was giving inaccurate readings due to rotor wash interference.
In the cockpit audio, Chief Warrant Officer Andrew Eaves asked co-pilot Capt. Rebecca Lobach to descend from 300 feet to 200 feet, thinking they were flying higher than they actually were.
That path down the Potomac has strict altitude restrictions—200 feet maximum near the airport.
Missed Warnings and Final Conversations
Air traffic control had tried to warn the helicopter crew twice about the approaching passenger jet, but the warnings went unheeded.
Although the helicopter crew claimed to see the plane and requested visual separation, they missed a crucial instruction to pass behind the jet.
Just 20 seconds before the collision, Eaves gave a final command: “Kinda come left for me, ma’am, I think that’s why he’s asking.”
Lobach replied, “Sure.” Their last exchange ended with her saying, “Okay fine,” just moments before disaster struck at 8:48pm.
Desperate Moments in the Jet Cockpit
Things were no less frantic in the cockpit of the American Airlines plane.
When the pilots saw the helicopter, they used expletives and tried to pull the aircraft up to avoid impact—but it was far too late.
An audio recording between air traffic controllers also played during the hearing revealed that the jet had been asked to change runways shortly before the crash.
It remains unclear whether that added to the confusion.
Post-Crash Tests Confirm Equipment Interference
In the aftermath of the tragedy, the NTSB conducted several test flights using similar Black Hawk helicopters along the same route.
The findings were sobering: downwash from the helicopter rotors consistently disrupted barometric altimeter readings, making the helicopters appear higher on instruments than they really were.
This error may have critically influenced the crew’s decision to descend at the exact wrong moment.
Fatigue and Staffing Concerns Emerge
Another disturbing finding revealed during the hearing was that the Black Hawk crew had been experiencing burnout—a factor that could have impaired judgment and reaction times.
And it’s not just the flight crew under scrutiny.
The hearing also raised serious questions about staffing issues among air traffic controllers at Reagan National on the night of the crash.
Families Seek Accountability Amid ‘Finger Pointing’
Thousands of pages of records from the investigation have now been made public, and for the families of the victims, the pain is still raw.
Aviation attorney Bob Clifford, who represents several of those families, said the hearing was full of “finger pointing” but noticeably lacking any clear admission of responsibility.
He criticized the apparent lack of accountability from both the military and civilian aviation sides involved in the tragedy.
A Grim Reminder in U.S. Aviation History
The collision stands as the deadliest airline incident in the United States in over two decades, reigniting urgent conversations about air safety—especially in areas where military and commercial aircraft operate in close quarters.
As the NTSB continues to review every detail, families of the victims and the broader public are left asking: how could so many systems fail at once—and what will it take to prevent another disaster like this?
