As recovery crews continue to search for wreckage of American Airlines Flight 5342 and an Army Black Hawk helicopter from the Potomac River, investigators are intensifying their search for the cause of the collision. The helicopter was on a training mission when it collided with a commercial plane that was on approach to land at Washington’s Reagan National Airport, killing all 64 people on board.
Initial concerns have been raised about the path of at least one of the aircraft. The helicopter was using a specialized corridor utilized by law enforcement, medevac, military, and government helicopters in the Washington area, which had a maximum altitude of 200 feet above sea level. However, flight tracking data shows that the Black Hawk was flying 100 feet above its allowed altitude and veering off the prescribed route along the Potomac River’s east side.
The helicopter’s turns would have brought it closer to the airport than the standard route. “Based on the data we’re able to see, I think that’s a fair assessment,” said Ian Petchenik, spokesperson for FlightRadar24.
The investigation is ongoing, with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) expected to release a preliminary report in about 30 days. A full understanding of the moments before the midair collision will require a complete analysis of the data recorders on board the aircraft, but even incomplete data suggests that the helicopter was not in the right position.
Both President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have spoken about the issue of altitude, with Trump stating that the Black Hawk helicopter was “flying too high, by a lot.” The NTSB will be investigating the “human, machine, and environment” to determine the cause of the collision.
The flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder from the American Airlines plane have been recovered, but the data recorder from the helicopter has not been retrieved. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is indefinitely closing the low-altitude helicopter corridor that was being used when the crash occurred, an official told CNN.
The investigation has also raised questions about whether the helicopter was adequately staffed in the crowded airspace. The Black Hawk was on a routine training mission with an instructor, a captain in training, and a crew chief, but some have questioned whether three crew members were enough to properly handle the complexity of the airspace. Additionally, some have raised concerns about air traffic control staffing issues, with one controller handling both local plane and helicopter traffic, contrary to normal procedures.