Latest
NO-GO ZONE
Choppers finally BANNED from deadly ‘helicopter alley’ after horrifying DC crash footage shows plane spiral into river
The FAA is cracking down on Washington DC's 'helicopter alley'
THE fatal errors that caused the deaths of 67 people when a passenger plane smashed into a Black Hawk over the Potomac River have been made crystal clear in newly released footage.
As bodies continue to be pulled from the wreckage in Washington DC, the Federal Aviation Administration is banning helicopters from entering the skies above.
15
15
15
On Thursday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth admitted that an "elevation mistake" saw the Army-operated helicopter flying in the path of the American Airlines plane before 9 pm on Wednesday.
The crash killed all involved, including 60 American Airlines passengers and four flight crew members, plus the three soldiers operating the Black Hawk for a training mission.
It is the deadliest US air crash since November 2001, when 260 people died after an American Airlines plane plunged into a Queens neighborhood.
As of Friday, the FAA started imposing new flight restrictions on helicopters operating near the airport.
read more on the plane crash
The lethal mistakes have now been captured in newly released angles obtained by CNN, and disturbed viewers are left with more fears and questions than ever before.
It comes as...
- All 64 passengers are feared dead with dozens of bodies pulled from river
- Detailed new footage 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
- Trump blames Obama and Biden's DEI polices at FAA for crash
- American Airlines CEO blames Black Hawk pilots
- American Airlines pilots and crew named along with passengers, including teens, parents, and coaches
- American Airlines plane's black box found
- Reagan Airport plagued by near-misses for years before crash
- Chilling report warned of future 'catastrophic' crash due to understaffing in 2022
In the footage, the Black Hawk can be seen flying over the river as the passenger plane makes its final descent to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Most read in The US Sun
In a second, the two collided into a fiery explosion.
The plane can be seen spiraling downward, eventually inverting as it nosedived into the water.
First DC plane crash victims identified as US teen figure skaters traveling with moms and world-famous coaches
The Black Hawk appeared to briefly stay level as it continued flying south, but it quickly arced downward into the Potomac nose first.
Viewers were horrified by the video of the crash that's sparked fears over air traffic controller working conditions, diversity hiring efforts, and Army training missions.
One furious X user said, "There's no way they didn't see that plane. Impossible."
Another wrote, "It boggles my mind as to why any aircraft (in this case the helicopter) are permitted to be anywhere near the paths of airport runways unless they're taking off or landing there."
15
15
"Why are military helicopters constantly flying next to civilian planes," a different horrified user said.
"This was going to happen sooner or later."
GRIM SEARCH
Flight records from the Federal Aviation Administration have revealed exactly what happened in the moments before the crash.
15
15
15
The helicopter pilot asked for permission from the air traffic controller to fly the predetermined path through the commercial airspace, The New York Times reported.
The route was in an area known as "helicopter alley," where there are strict elevation rules.
The controller granted the Black Hawk pilot to fly the approved route, which was meant to be below 200 feet elevation.
However, the helicopter was over 300 feet in the air when it collided with the passenger jet, the records reveal.
Trump, who at first pointed the finger at the controversial hiring methods for air traffic controllers, is now taking a hard look at the Army pilots.
15
15
15
15
In a Friday morning post on Truth Social, he said, "The Black Hawk 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?"
Hair-raising cold and ink-black waters made rescue conditions nearly impossible, and brave crews began the grim search for bodies after the sun rose Thursday morning.
So far, over 40 bodies have been found, and some of the victims include teenage ice skaters, world-class athletes, and a crew of hunting buddies.
Two of the soldiers have been named as staff sergeant Ryan O'Hara, a 28-year-old from Georgia, and chief warrant officer Andrew Eaves, a 39-year-old from Maryland.
At the request of the family, the name of the third soldier isn't being released, the US Army said Friday.
Americans have been setting up memorials across the country for those who were killed in the crash.
I watched as DC rescue teams fought through torrential rain to find remains in icy waters
From Senior Reporter Israel Salas-Rodriguez in Washington DC:
A recovery mission is still underway just several feet behind me here at the Potomac River in the National’s capital.
Divers have continued to scour through the waters searching for victims.
The unfathomable incident occurred late Wednesday evening when an American Airlines flight carrying 64 passengers and crew members, which originated from Wichita, Kansas, collided with a Black Hawk army helicopter as the commercial airliner was making its decent into Reagan National Airport.
The horrific caught on camera incident sent shockwaves across the country.
Footage captured the mid-air collision that lit up the DC sky as remnants of both aircraft’s plunged into the icy Potomac river, leaving no survivors.
First responders have been working tirelessly, around the clock, pulling bodies and debris from the aircraft’s from the frigid waters.
The U.S. Sun was at Reagan National Airport on Thursday an hour after the airport reopened at 11 am.
Several travelers, hauling luggages, spoke to The U.S. Sun and described how the incident left them uneasy as they waited to board their flight.
One concerned man described how he and his sister have been texting overnight, nonstop since her AA from Arkansas was rerouted to NY because of the crash.
The National Transportation Safety Board has opened an investigation and working on determining what caused the crash that killed all 67 people aboard the AA flight and Army helicopter.
So far, at least 41 bodies have been recovered.
At least 14 of the passengers aboard the AA flight were renowned icy skaters and hopeful Olympians, who were returning home from a national Figure Ice Skating tournament in Wichita.
The athletes were members of various icy rinks in the DMV area and Boston.
The U.S. Sun spoke to several mourns outside Ashburn Ice Center on Thursday evening, many of whom were still visibly shaken by the tragedy.
Former ice hockey coach at Ashburn Wellesley Shomo coached at the facility for 3 years and played on the ice for another 20 years.
A heavy-hearted Wellesley remembered some of the coaches that died in the crash as “good people who dedicate hours to their craft.”
A 15-year-old girl and her mom arrived at Ashburn Ice Center with flowers in hand minutes before the ice center was set to close for the night on Thursday.
The emotional teen, who fought back tears, told The U.S. Sun that some of her friends died in the crash, saying, “This is our rink. I’ve been skating here since I was 3. I’m just trying not to cry.”
President Trump said he and his team have “strong opinions and ideas” about what happened, but vowed to conduct a speedy investigation.
Texas-based artist Roberto Marquez, who also traveled for the Los Angeles fires and the New Orleans mass shooting, set up crosses outside the Washington DC airport for the fallen passengers.
Families are mourning the loss of their loved ones, as many were children or young adults in the primes of their lives.
A large swath of the passengers on the flight from Wichita, Kansas, were coming from the ice skating US National Championships.
The competition ended on Sunday, but some of the most promising skaters stayed a few days longer for an elite boot camp.
Olympian Nancy Kerrigan broke down in tears on camera as she mourned the lost lives that were budding with potential.
"We've been through tragedies before as Americans, as people, and we're strong," she said at the Skating Club of Boston, which lost many members.
Read More on The US Sun
"I guess it's how we respond to it, and my response is to be with people I care about.
"I just wanted to be here and be part of our community."
15
15
15
Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk fact file
A SIKORSKY UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed into an American Airlines plane carrying 64 people on January 29. The collision happened as the jet was about to land at Reagan national airport. The three soldiers on board the helicopter and the 64 people on the plane died as both aircraft plunged into the freezing Potomac river.
Army personnel have used Black Hawk helicopters since the late 1970s.
Black Hawk helicopters don't just transport troops; the flying machines are used in search and rescue missions, and deliver supplies to war-torn nations.
Here are some facts about the helicopter:
- Cost: Between $5.9 million and $10.2 million.
- Top speed: 183mph.
- Range: 1,380 miles.
- Engines: Powered by two electric engines that have 2,000 horsepower each.
- Length: 50 feet one inch.
- Height: 16 feet 10 inches.
- Troop capacity: Up to 11 fully equipped soldiers.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the copter was training to evacuate government personnel in an emergency event.
"Without getting anything into anything that's classified, there are many things that happen in and around the Capitol that ensure in a contingency, in an emergency, our government is able to continue to operate,” he told Fox News.
Hegseth previously revealed the helicopter's pilots were wearing night goggles, but investigators are probing the eyewear.
Republican congressman Mark Green, who represents the told NewsNation the pilots should've been able to see the lights of the jet.
President Trump revealed the Black Hawk was flying "too high."
Officials on the National Transportation Safety Board confirm they know where the copter's black boxes are.