Two new videos obtained by CNN are the most detailed yet in showing the horrifying crash between an American Airlines plane and a Black Hawk helicopter.
In one clip released on Friday morning, the helicopter can be seen flying over the Potomac River from the left side as the passenger jet descends from the right side. After an explosion, both aircrafts are seen falling into the water.
The second video appears to be shot from Ronald Reagan National Airport and shows the two aircrafts colliding head-on from a distance across the runways, and spinning into the river.
NBC News has confirmed that an air traffic control supervisor at Reagan Airport let a controller leave their shift early before a plane crash killed 67 people.
It comes after US media obtained an initial report from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) which found staffing levels were ‘not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic’ before the fatal plane and helicopter collision.
Two roles – coordinating helicopter traffic and coordinating arriving and departing planes – had been combined into one. Two people were reportedly handling the jobs of four inside the control tower at Reagan National Airport.
However, the two jobs are usually combined when controllers need a break or are doing a shift change – so the ‘not normal’ staffing levels could be attributed to a shift change or work break.
There were no survivors when the American Airlines flight collided with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan National Airport late last night.
Even in peak conditions, pilots must navigate notoriously busy skies filled with hundreds of other commercial planes, military aircraft and restricted areas around sensitive sites, with the White House just five miles away.
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Two runways at DC airport are closed
Two of the three runways at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport are closed, according to its vice president and manager, Terry Liercke.
Liercke during a press conference on Friday afternoon at the airport encouraged passengers to check with airlines on their flight information.
American Airlines plane black boxes recovered
The National Transportation Safety Board has recovered black boxes from the American Airlines plane and is processing the recorders, CNN reported.
At 4pm local time, the board will hold a press conference at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
It is unclear if officials will have details on the contents of the black box by then.
American Airlines retires Flight 5342 and will operate new number
American Airlines will retire flight number 5342 from Wichita, Kansas, to Washington, DC, after a plane on that route crashed.
The airline told CNN that it will resume flights on the route on Friday night as AA 5567.
Service for the itinerary had been halted after the Wednesday night collision.
Black Hawk crew were training in case of attack on US Capitol
The three crew members aboard the Black Hawk helicopter that collided with the American Airlines plane were conducting an exercise in the event of an attack on the Capitol.
It was part of a response plan that involves with an evacuation and relocation of federal agencies and the White House.
Trump asks if ‘you want me to go swimming’ to visit crash site
President Donald Trump responded sarcastically when asked by a reporter if he has plans to visit the site of the American Airlines plane and Black Hawk helicopter crash.
The aircrafts dropped into the Potomac River, where recovery operations are still underway.
‘You tell me, what’s the site, the water? You want me to go swimming?’ said Trump.
When the reporter asked if he would visit first responders there, Trump said he would not, but plans to meet with some of the families of the victims.
Videos show two new angles of harrowing crash
Two videos from CNN show new angles of the crash between the American Airlines plane the Black Hawk helicopter.
Warning: sensitive content.
Reagan Airport operating normally today
In a post on X, Reagan Airport wrote: ‘The airport is open and operating normally today, January 31. Passengers are encouraged to check with their airlines for delays or cancellations.’
When was the last fatal airplane crash in America?
The most recent mass casulaty plane crash in the US was on November 12, 2001, when an American Airlines flight slammed into a residential area of Belle Harbour, New York, just after take-off from Kennedy Airport, killing all 260 people aboard and five people on the ground.
The National Safety Council estimates that Americans have a 1-in-93 chance of dying in a motor vehicle crash, while deaths on airplanes are too rare to calculate the odds.
American Airlines flight was ‘told to switch runways’ six minutes before fatal crash
Fox News is reporting that six minutes before the fatal collision last night, the American Airlines flight was told to switch runways from 01 to 33.
This could be for a number of reasons – inclement weather, high winds, etc.
President of National Air Traffic Controllers slams Trump’s comments about ‘DEI’ hires
Nick Daniels, the president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, told CBS: ‘It doesn’t matter their race, color, religion , you can know you are in the best hands that take that responsibility very seriously everyday.’
During a news conference yesterday, and without evidence, Trump blamed air traffic controllers, the helicopter pilots and Democratic policies at federal agencies.
He claimed that the FAA was ‘actively recruiting workers who suffer severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric problems and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring initiative’.
‘All hands on deck’ for investigation
Officials are scrutinising a range of factors in what National Transportation Safety Board chairwoman Jennifer Hommendy has called an ‘all-hands-on-deck event’.
Air crash investigations can take months, and investigators told reporters on Thursday they would not speculate on the cause.
Authorities were still looking for the helicopter’s black box recorder, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday on Fox News.
Other factors in the crash, including the helicopter’s altitude and whether the crew was using its night vision goggles, are still under investigation, Mr Hegseth said.
Mother, father and two daughters identified as victims of plane crash
The Livingston family, consisting of Everly, 14, Aldia, 11, and parents Donna and Peter, died in the American Airlines crash.
The family had been figure skating for years, and like many of the passengers, were headed home from the US Figure Skating Championships.
More than 40 bodies pulled from the Potomac
An official has told the Associated Press that more than 40 bodies have been taken from the river out of the 67 people who died.
Freezing and rainy conditions are making today’s recovery efforts a bit more difficult.
Investigators face harsh conditions as recovery continues
Investigators are encountering rough conditions today as Washington has a 100% chance of rain and winds gusts of up to 25mph.
Crews are back out on the Potomac today searching for wreckage.
Supervisor let air traffic controller leave shift early
NBC News has confirmed that an air traffic control supervisor at Reagan Airport let a controller leave their shift early.
Trump claims military helicopter was flying ‘too high’ at time of crash
In a post on Truth Social, President Trump claimed: ‘The Blackhawk helicopter was flying too high, by a lot.
‘It was far above the 200 foot limit. That’s not really too complicated to understand, is it???’
The maximum altitude for the helictoper at the time was indeed 200 feet – but it remains to be seen if the helicopter was in fact above that altitude and if it factored into the crash.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said altitude is a ‘factor’ in the collision.
Crews are preparing to start search again
It’s around 8am in Washington right now, and crews are preparing to head back out into the Potomac to search for victims and find wreckage which could hold the clue to how this horrible crash happened.
‘All accessible areas’ of the Potomac River have been searched
Investigators said they retreived the black boxes from the American Airlines flight which collided with a Black Hawk Helicopter.
Recovery operations are still underway, but ‘all accessible areas’ of the river have been searched already.
US media has obtained an initial report from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) which read staffing levels were ‘not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic’.
Two roles – coordinating helicopter traffic and coordinating arriving and departing planes – had been combined into one.
Two people were reportedly handling the jobs of four inside the control tower at Reagan National Airport.
However, the two jobs are usually combined when controllers need a break or are doing a shift change – so the ‘not normal’ staffing levels could be attributed to a shift change or work break.
Rescue operation will resume as daylight hits
It is now 07.10am in Washington DC which means daylight is approaching and the rescue operation will soon resume.
The DC Fire and EMS Department posted on X: ‘Divers will work with NTSB to conduct additional searches to locate aircraft components, to support the investigation, and begin operations to salvage the aircraft.’
Last night, boats remained on the scene for security and surface searches.