The tragic incident claimed the lives of 67 people, including three US Army pilots (Image: Getty)
Officials have released new information about the horrific crash between an American Airlines in Washington, D.C.
An investigation into the circumstances surrounding the tragic collision, which claimed the lives of 67 people, is still in the early stages as investigators try and piece together the final moments before .
Preliminary reports from air traffic control radar suggest that the Army Black Hawk helicopter was flying 100ft higher than it should have been.
, 28, was on the fateful flight alongside Staff Sergeant Ryan Austin O’Hara, 28, and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39.
The crew were on a surrounding Washington Ronald Reagan airport when the crash took place.
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Both airframes plummeted into the river below following the collision (Image: Getty)
The maximum altitude for military aircrafts in the area is believed to be 200ft to allow them to deconflict routes with civilian air traffic, but authorities believe that the crew were flying at closer to 300ft.
The National Transport Safety Board (NTSB) explained that radar data is rounded to the nearest 100ft, meaning the chopper was flying somewhere between 251ft and 349ft in the air.
The American Airlines flight had been and is believed to have been at a height of 325ft when the crash happened.
Pilots landing at Ronald Reagan airport are required to undergo additional training due to the increased difficulty involved due to the air traffic around the site. However, it is not believed the area was any busier than usual on the night of the crash.
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It is believed that the American Airlines pilot made a last-ditch just seconds before it was hit by the Army helicopter.
Todd Inman of the NTSB previously explained: “At one point very close to the impact, there was a slight change in pitch, an increase in pitch.”
His colleague Brice Banning, who is in charge of the investigation, added: “The crew had a verbal reaction. Sounds of impact were audible about one second later, followed by the end of the recording.”
Speaking on the ongoing investigation, Banning added: “This is a complex investigation. There are a lot of pieces here. Our team is working hard to gather this data.”
All 67 bodies have now been recovered from the river, although the mangled wreck of the airliner made recovery efforts difficult.