Investigators have found conflicting altimeter readings from the control tower data of the Black Hawk military helicopter and the passenger jet that collided over Washington on Jan. 29.
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) officials told reporters on Feb. 1 that preliminary altimeter data do not match the events on the night of the deadly accident.
Officials said the control tower recorded the Black Hawk helicopter flying at an altitude of 200 feet at the time of the collision, in line with its maximum allowed altitude for its flight path.
However, data from the passenger jet’s flight recorder show the collision occurred at an altitude of about 325 feet, plus or minus 25 feet.
“That’s what our job is, to figure that out,” NTSB member J. Todd Inman said during an evening news conference on Feb. 1.
Investigators hope to reconcile the altitude differences with data from the helicopter’s black box, which is taking more time to retrieve because it became waterlogged after it plunged into the Potomac River. They also said they plan to refine the tower data, which can be less reliable.
Investigators are also focusing on the actions of the military pilot and air traffic control, which has in recent years been struggling with shortages in manpower under the management of the Federal Aviation Administration.
A Clear Night to Fly
On the evening of Jan. 29 at about 9 p.m., a regional passenger jet was hit by an Army helicopter that was flying on a routine “annual proficiency training flight” under clear skies; 67 people died. The training was to practice routes to be used to evacuate key government officials if needed during an attack or major catastrophe.
American Airlines Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas, with 64 people on board, was descending to land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport along a known landing route. The Army Black Hawk helicopter had three soldiers on board who Army officials have said were highly experienced and also familiar with the congested skies around the airport.
There were no survivors after both aircraft plunged into the icy Potomac River, despite best efforts by hundreds of first responders who launched an all-out search and rescue effort through the night.
“This is a complex investigation,” Brice Banning, NTSB investigator in charge, said. “There are a lot of pieces here. Our team is working hard to gather this data.”
Helicopter flights in the crowded airspace around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport have been put on hold as the investigation continues.
Jet’s Black Boxes
The NTSB also detailed the last moments from the jet’s two black boxes.
“The crew had a verbal reaction,” Banning said. One data recorder of sound from the cockpit indicated “the airplane beginning to increase its pitch,” he said.
“Sounds of impact were audible about one second later, followed by the end of the recording.”
The other black box captured flight data from the jet.
NTSB investigators said they hope to have a preliminary report within 30 days. The full investigation typically takes at least a year to finalize, they said.
Inman told reporters that he has spent hours with the grieving families of the crash victims.
“From tragedy we draw knowledge to improve the safety for us all. That’s what we’re doing right now, we’re dealing with tragedy, but we need to improve safety,” he said. Inman expressed frustration that the board has made “several hundred” recommendations to improve aviation that have not been acted upon.
“You want to do something about it?” he said. “Adopt the recommendation of the NTSB. You’ll save lives. I don’t want to have to meet with those parents like that again.”
The families, he said, are struggling.
“Some wanted to give us hugs,” Inman said. “Some are just mad and angry. They are just all hurt. And they still want answers, and we want to give them answers.”
District of Columbia Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly Sr. told reporters on Jan. 31: “This is heartbreaking work. It’s been a tough response for a lot of our people.”
The crash was the deadliest in U.S. aviation history in nearly 25 years, since Nov. 12, 2001, when a jet slammed into a residential neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens after takeoff from John F. Kennedy International Airport. The 2001 crash killed all 260 people on board and five bystanders on the ground.
Jacob Burg and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
