Coverage of the American Eagle / Blackhawk Helicopter Mid-Air Crash in Washington
The U.S. Figure Skating Championships were held in Wichita this past weekend. These are the people who skate for Team USA in the Winter Olympics. There is more here. The story just gets worse and worse. There were a number of skaters and coaches aboard from both the U.S. and abroad.
Horrible aircraft mid-air crash this evening: American Airline's flight 5342 from Wichita to Washington-Reagan crashed into a military Blackhawk VIP helicopter. Of course, Wichita is my favorite city and I had friends on that flight as recently as last week. Please offer your prayers for all involved, including the first responders.
As of 10:55pm, 19 bodies have been recovered. That number is confirmed. No survivors have been found.
American Airlines has set up a number for families and others: (800) 679-8215.
Reagan National Airport will be closed until 11am Eastern.
Video of the crash and of the air traffic control screens are just below.
I used several sources to compile reliable information about the situation as the evening progressed. Please read down to get the information. Times are Central Standard unless otherwise noted. Because of the interest, I have bumped the air traffic control screen video (upper) and the video of the crash (lower) just below.
Here is the screen the air traffic controllers were seeing and the video of the crash.
The lines and circle left of center is the runway diagram from the air traffic control screen. Via RAWSALERTS this is that the air traffic controllers were seeing. PAT is the helicopter and JIA 5342 is the American Eagle jet. You see them getting closer together and then the red CA appears which means "collision alert." I have listed to an audio of the controllers telling the helicopter to look for the "traffic" (the American Eagle plane) and the helicopter said they saw it. What they might have seen was American Flight 1630 which you see leaving the Reagan runway at upper left. That is the plane you see taking off at the end of the video of the collision (below).
Video of the crash below.
[Updated Thursday 11:40am] The bright light is the American Eagle jet on approach to Runway 33. From left to right (as seen from the Kennedy Center camera), you can see the helicopter (dimmer light spot) flying south, left to right, down the Potomac. Just before the crash you see an American Airlines flight taking off (upper right).
When the helicopter was told to watch out for the American Airlines jet, as heard on the air traffic control (ATC) audio, the pilot might have mistaken the plane taking off. That audio is not posted here but I have listened several times.
Start of Minute-By-Minute Coverage:
Reagan is closed until further notice.
It was a military Blackhawk helicopter for VIPs.
I am updating as more info becomes available.
8:30pm: Coast Guard and Washington, DC fire and police are searching right now. There is an airboat on the scene of the fuselage. There is a wing apparently detached from the remainder of the wreckage. Additional units are being dispatched to the area as I write this.
Above is the official notification Reagan is closed until at least 11pm EST. It will probably be closed all night. The airport is now closed until at least 5am EST.
They are in the process of setting up lights at the edge of the Potomac shining out into the river.
Below is an image from the Kennedy Center webcam looking down the Potomac that shows the collision. Bottom image is a zoom in. I checked the weather and the sky was clear with ≥ 10 mile visibility.
8:37pm
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Sadly, there are fatalities. Total number unknown. American Eagle Flight 5342. Here is better map. The American Eagle flight comes up from the south heading north.
VIP = government officials' transportation, it is a Blackhawk helicopter used to ferry government officials from Reagan into the city. 8:41pm CST
Photo of the type of plane involved. 8:45pm
----9pm
Eight bodies have been recovered, so far. 9pm
They are staging the recovery effort at the south Washington Boathouse. I have not heard about casualties on the Blackhawk helicopter. 9:16pm
9:21pm: A number of military officials just arrived on the scene, presumably because of the military Blackhawk VIP helicopter.
9:25pm:
9:50pm: The audio in the control tower is here. You can heard the gasps when it occurred at :25. Approaching aircraft are given go-around instructions ("climb and maintain 3,000") after the crash.
9:38pm. NTSB is on the scene.
9:44pm. This may be the worst U.S. air accident since an American Airlines jumbo jet crashed in NYC due to a tail problem on November 12, 2001.
According to an AI program:
The last mid-air collision involving a United States mainline airline occurred on December 16, 1960, when United Airlines Flight 826 collided with Trans World Airlines (TWA) Flight 266 over New York City.
Washington Reagan is officially closed until at least 5am EST.
3 people were aboard the Blackhawk.
10pm: An aside: mid-air collisions were thought to be a thing of the past thanks to TCAS technology. However, I don't believe military helicopters are equipped with TCAS. Also, a reliable source tells me that military aircraft and civilian airliners use different radio frequencies.
10:06pm, although I have no way to post it, I just heard a different audio recording than the link above at Reagan tower tell the helicopter about the "traffic" (the RJ from Wichita) and for the helicopter to "fly behind it." Obviously, he was looking at the wrong plane.
There has been just one other mainline jet crash involving Wichita. That was Continental Flight 426 in Denver in 1975. The plane crashed in a downburst as it was taking off at Denver's old Stapleton Airport. No one died.
11:10pm:
Via RAWSALERTS this is that the air traffic controllers were seeing. PAT is the helicopter and JIA 5342 is the American Eagle jet. You see them getting closer together and then the red CA appears which means "collision alert." As mentioned above, I listed to an audio of the controllers telling the helicopter to look for the "traffic" (the American Eagle plane) and the helicopter said they saw it. What they might have seen was American Flight 1630 which you see leaving the Reagan runway at upper left. That is likely the plane you see taking off at the end of the video of the collision 9:33pm Video of the crash below.
You can see the helicopter moving slowly (bright light). The American Eagle jet moves from right to left and intersects the path of the helicopter. The explosion is visible as is, tragically, the helicopter and plane falling to the river/ground. You can also see, just before the crash, a plane taking off from Reagan at upper right.
There is relatively little news available now and there probably won't be again until morning. However, the Wichita Eagle will be updating during the night, here.
You can follow me on Twitter @usweatherexpert.
End of Coverage As of Wednesday evening.
Does one truly know to say the following at this point?
ReplyDelete“Obviously, he was looking at the wrong plane”
Asking as now seeing the AA pilot was instructed by ATC to divert to a different DCA runway. Seems far too many variables to assume or jump to conclusions barely 24 hours since the accident.
If "he" (the helicopter pilot) was looking at the correct plane, he wouldn't have flown into its path.
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