Further heartbreaking details have emerged after an American Airlines passenger plane crashed with a military helicopter in Washington D.C. on Wednesday night.
American Airlines Flight 5342, carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, was beginning its landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport when it collided with the military helicopter, which was carrying three soldiers.
Traveling at approximately 140 miles per hour, the aircraft had been cleared to land on Runway 33 by air traffic control, The Guardian reports.
Moments before it was due to land, an air traffic controller radioed the approaching military helicopter, asking if it had the incoming jet in sight, saying: “PAT25 do you have the CRJ in sight?”
Another call followed: “PAT 25 pass behind the CRJ.” But within seconds, the two aircraft collided, CNN reports.
The two aircrafts collided over the Potomac River and an emergency response was immediately launched.
While no official update has yet been shared, reports state that at least 19 bodies have been pulled from the river.
In a recording of communications from the air tower, the controllers reaction to the collision has been revealed.
The audio, captured by LiveATC.net, an aircraft can be heard calling the tower just seconds after the CRJ700 Bombardier jet carrying 64 passengers and crew collided with the helicopter.
“Tower, did you see that?”, the aircraft is heard asking following the crash.
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An air traffic controller then begins redirecting all aircrafts that were heading to Runway 33 to go around, and can be heard saying: “Crash, crash, crash, this is an alert three.”
Another air traffic controller is heard saying: “I don’t know if you caught earlier what happened, but there was a collision on the approach into 33.
“We’re going to be shutting down operations for the indefinite future.”
A third air traffic controller then says: “Both the helicopter and the plane crashed in the river.
“It was probably out in the middle of the river. I just saw a fireball and then it was just gone.
“I haven’t seen anything since they hit the river. But it was a CRJ and a helicopter that hit, I would say, maybe a half mile off the approach into 33.”
Cameras at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington caught the collision.
Further information on the developing situation is expected in due course.
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