Emergency crews remain at the scene as a recovery operation continues. (Image: Getty)
Audio from the control tower at the airport in where a commercial jet and a US military helicopter collided sheds light on the moments before the deadly crash.
Emergency services rushed to the scene after the tragic incident on Wednesday night, with rescuers desperately searching the Potomac River, over which the crash occurred.
On a radio traffic feed on LiveATC.net, a site that broadcasts air traffic control communications, an air traffic controller can apparently be heard asking the helicopter pilot, “Do you have C.R.J. in sight?” as the passenger jet approached the runway.
A helicopter pilot responded that he did, telling the tower he would use “visual separation”, in other words that he would keep an eye on the aircraft and ensure that he kept at a safe distance, reports.
Moments later the passenger plane and helicopter collided, with sounds of concern in the air traffic controller’s background audible in the recording, the newspaper reports. Someone on the channel is heard asking the air traffic controllers, “Tower, did you see that?”
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Shortly after, flights were grounded at the airport as emergency personnel launched a desperate search for survivors.
“I believe they’re going to close the airport for an indefinite amount of time,” a controller told a plane on the ground, adding: “I might suggest heading back to the gate.”
The passenger plane, which had departed from Wichita, Kansas, and was bound for US capital, was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members while the Black Hawk helicopter had three soldiers on board.
Authorities have since said they don’t believe anyone survived, and the search operation became one of recovery on Thursday. At least 40 bodies had been recovered as of 5:30 p.m. ET, a law enforcement source told .
The included included teen figure skaters returning from a national meet with their mothers and coaches, an Ohio college student coming from her grandfather’s funeral, two Chinese nationals and a group of hunters on their way back from a guided trip in Kansas.
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The recovery operation continues. (Image: Getty)
Little is known about the circumstances that led up the crash, as investigations by US authorities continue.
The National Transportation Safety Board which is leading the investigation has said it was too soon to speculate and pledged to release a preliminary report within 30 days, as per AP.
In a press conference, President Trump linked a diversity drive at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) under previous administrations to the crash, but provided no evidence for the claim.
American Airlines’s CEO Robert Isom voiced his “deep sorrow” over the tragedy, explaining that the aircraft was operated by PSA Airlines, a subsidiary of American Airlines.
“We’re cooperating fully with the National Transportation Safety Board and its investigation and will continue to provide all the information we can,” Isom said.
The carrier has set up a hotline as well as centers in Washington and Wichita for people searching for information about family members who may have been aboard the downed flight. The hotline can be reached at 1-800 679 8215.