The chilling final minutes leading up to the catastrophic explosion have been revealed (Image: Getty)
The chilling final minutes leading up to the catastrophic explosion of an plane carrying 64 civilians near Washington D.C have been revealed.
Both the a regional jetliner and the military aircraft, which had three soldiers on board plunged into the Potomac River.
All 67 people on board both aircraft are feared dead, Kansas Senator Roger Marshall said.
300 responders are currently searching for survivors in “extremely tough” conditions, officials have said. Current search efforts have recovered up to 19 bodies.
The Federal Aviation Administration has verified that the tragic incident occurred around 9pm EST, DC fire chief John Donnelly said at a press conference: “We don’t know if there are survivors, but we are working on it.”
In the moments leading up to the crash the airliner was on approach to Runway 33 at Reagan Washington National Airport whilst the Blackhawk military helicopter – based at Fort Belvoir in Virginia – was on a training flight when the collision happened.
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A few minutes before it was scheduled to land, the American Eagle flight was given permission to app (Image: Getty)
A few minutes before it was scheduled to land, the American Eagle flight was given permission to approach runway 33. Just seconds before the aircraft crashed air traffic controllers checked with the helicopter pilot that they had the arriving plane in sight.
The aircraft was travelling at an altitude of around 400ft and a speed of about 140mph when it suffered a rapid loss of altitude over the Potomac River, according to flight tracking information.
Horrifying footage shows a flash of light in the sky at 8:47pm local time (1:47am UK time) appearing to show the moment the aircraft exploded into flames.
Just a minute later an alert was sounded at 8.48pm local time, the first units arrived on the scene at 8.58pm, 11 minutes after the devastating crash, and found an aircraft in the water.
In the immediate aftermath after the crash Air Traffic Control (ATC) audio emerged from around the time of the incident.
In the nearly minute-and-a-half recording, ATC operators can be heard asking the helicopter if the commercial flight is in sight.
Air traffic controllers checked with the helicopter pilot that they had the arriving plane in sight (Image: Getty)
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A controller says: “Um, 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 (the type of plane that crashed) and a helicopter that hit, I would say a half-mile off the approach.”
In the nearly minute-and-a-half recording, ATC operators can be heard asking the helicopter if the commercial flight is in sight.
Express US reports that another air traffic controller says: “PAT 2-5 do you have the CRJ in sight?”
Seconds later, the controller spoke again, requesting: “Pat 2-5 pass behind the CRJ.”
A haunting, audible gasp can be heard at the moment of the crash from the tower, according to CNN.
With recovery efforts at the airport now focusing on the stricken aircraft in the Potomac River, several flights have been diverted to Washington-Baltimore International Airport.