New Video of D.C. Plane Crash Shows Final Seconds Before Black Hawk Helicopter Collided with American Airlines Flight

Mar. 15, 2025

New footage has emerged of themid-air collision between an American Airlines flight and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopternear Reagan National Airport.

Suddenly an explosion occurs, causing a bright ball of yellow light to light up the night sky. The remnants of the two aircraft can then be seen plummeting into the Potomac River below.

The aircraft approaching from the left was the Black Hawk helicopter, and the one traveling directly toward the camera was the American Airlines plane, according toCNN.

Miles O’Brien, an aviation analyst for CNN, said the Black Hawk helicopterdid not appear to be taking evasive actionin the seconds before the crash.

He also noted that air traffic controllers had warned the helicopter crew about the oncoming plane, which the crew acknowledged. “The question is … when they saw the traffic, what did they see?” he pondered.

As of early Friday, Jan. 31, more than 40 bodies have been pulled from the Potomac River following the crash, according tothe Associated PressandNBC News.

Many of thevictims have been identified, including several members of the U.S. Figure Skating community, members of the Wichita, Kan. community, and more.

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The preliminary investigation into the crash will take about 30 days, but itcould take a year or morefor the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to determine the final probable cause, board member Todd Inman said Friday onGood Morning America.

“We will be on scene here doing all the recovery of the perishable evidence we need for as long as it takes,” Inman told hostGeorge Stephanopoulos.

source: people.com