BLACK boxes have been recovered from the American Airlines jet that plunged into a river after colliding with a helicopter in Washington DC.
Investigators are probing what caused the crash that left 67 dead amid questions over staffing and other close calls at the airport.
Divers dredged up two black boxes from the passenger jet in the Potomac River on Thursday.
The boxes record flight data and what the pilots say – and could be crucial in offering clues about what caused the disaster.
A preliminary report is expected to be issued in 30 days, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said.
Both boxes were transported to one of the board’s labs on Thursday to be analyzed following the horror crash on Wednesday night.
All 64 people on the CRJ700 airplane were killed, as well as the three crew members on the Black Hawk chopper.
It comes as…
All 64 passengers are feared dead with at least 28 bodies pulled from river CCTV captures moment of the crash Chilling audio reveals the final moments of flight World champion figure skaters confirmed to be on board Figure skater shared final, tragic picture from inside the plane before takeoff Husband reveals wife’s final text from doomed jet Rescue efforts hindered by freezing & dark conditions with 12 hours before severe weather comes American Airlines CEO blames Black Hawk pilots Trump blames Obama and Biden’s DEI polices at FAA for crash American Airlines pilots and crew named Passenger names beginning to be released, including teens, parents, and coachesDivers now aim to “salvage the aircraft” and find additional components.
Authorities have not pinpointed a reason for the collision, which happened as the regional jet was trying to land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
But air traffic control staffing numbers were “not normal”, according to an initial Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) report.
The controller who was directing helicopters was also instructing planes, The New York Times reported.
These jobs are typically assigned to two people.
It has also emerged at least two other pilots reported near-misses with helicopters while landing at the airport in the three years before the deadly crash.
A passenger flight had to abort a landing at the airport just a day before the tragedy.
Republic Airways Flight 4514 was forced to back out of touching down and had to make a second approach after a helicopter appeared near its flight path, the Washington Post reported.
Radio communications from Wednesday night’s disaster meanwhile showed that air traffic controllers alerted the helicopter about the approaching jet and ordered it to change course.
EPAEmergency crews at the scene in DC[/caption]Washington DC plane crash victims
A mid-air collision between American Airlines flight 5342 and a military helicopter on January 29, 2025, left dozens presumed dead. The victims include:
Captain Jonathan Campos, 34 First Officer Samuel Lilley, 29 Flight attendant Ian Epstein Flight attendant Danashia Brown Elder Spencer Lane, 16 Christine Lane, 49 Jinna Han, 13 Jin Han Evgenia Shishkova, 52 Vadim Naumov, 55 Alexandr Kirsanov Angela Yang Sean Kay Peter Livingston Donna Smojice Livingston Everly Livingston, 14 Alydia Livingston, 11 Inna Volyanskaya Asra Hussain Raza, 26 Michael Stovall, 40 Jesse Pitcher, 30 Elizabeth Anne Keys, 33 Wendy Jo Shaffer Kiah Duggins Black Hawk crew chief Ryan O’HaraA newly-engaged pilot, a group of friends on a hunting trip, and teenage figure skaters were among the victims aboard the American Airlines plane.
Three soldiers on the Black Hawk, including a new dad from Atlanta, died when the military helicopter smashed into the passenger jet that had traveled from Wichita, Kansas.
The plane shattered into three pieces, and both aircraft sank into the inky black waters just before 9 pm ET on Wednesday.
Hopes for survivors quickly faded as rescue crews worked through the night in dark, cold conditions.
Authorities yesterday confirmed there were no survivors – making this the deadliest US air crash since November 2001, when 260 people died after a plane plunged into a Queens neighborhood.
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said the pilot of the American Eagle Flight 5342 had about six years of flying experience.
The Bombardier jet was operated by PSA Airlines, a regional subsidiary.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the helicopter was flown by a “fairly experienced crew” of three soldiers who were wearing night-vision goggles on an annual training flight.
Officials said they were grounding other flights from the Army unit involved in the crash and would reevaluate training exercises in the region.
Young figure skater Spencer Lane, 16, is among those who were killed in the horrific Washington DC plane crashInstagram/spencerskates26 GettyHis coaches, married Russian skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, seen competing in 1995, were also killed[/caption] Jinna Han, 13, was killed in the crash that’s claimed 67 livesReuters Read More Details
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