Before D.C. Plane Crash, Army Helicopter Was Flying 100 Feet Too High and Twice Warned About Passenger Jet: Officials

Officials have released new information regarding the U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter that collided with American Airlines flight 5342 on Wednesday, Jan. 29, which resulted in the death of 67 people.

In a briefing on Saturday, Feb. 1, officials from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) told reporters that the Black Hawk helicopter crashed into the plane between 300 feet and 350 feet above the ground, meaning it was flying more than 100 feet higher than it was authorized.

However, the authorities said, there was also a more preliminary indication that — for some reason still being examined — the helicopter may have registered to air traffic control as being at only about 200 feet, though more reliable data shows the passenger jet was at a higher altitude when it was hit.

Officials said they expected more information soon, to narrow down the helicopter's movement through the air.

Investigators also stated that the helicopter was flying on a pre-approved route known as Route 4 and thus was not authorized to fly more than 200 feet above ground. NTSB informed reporters that air traffic control at Reagan National alerted the helicopter team to the fact that a jet was in their vicinity twice — once at 8:46 p.m. and again at 8:47 p.m. local time — immediately before the crash.

Authorities indicated they do not yet know if or why the helicopter was flying higher than it was supposed to but that this is part of their investigation.

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Investigators with the board also noted that the American Airlines flight made a sudden turn upward seconds before the collision.

“I can tell you at one point very close to the impact, there was a slight change in pitch, an increase in pitch,” safety board member Todd Inman said during the briefing.

In a briefing on Thursday, Jan. 30, chief of staff for the Army’s aviation directorate, Jonathan Koziol, told reporters that the Black Hawk was on a training mission at the time of the crash, specifically preparing to evacuate government officials in the event of a catastrophic event.

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Pilots “need to be able to understand the environment, the air traffic, the routes, to ensure the safe travel of our senior leaders throughout our government,” he added, per CNN.

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As of Jan. 31, the bodies of 41 crash victims have been recovered, and the remains of 28 of them have been positively identified. D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John A. Donnelly has stated that the remainder of the bodies will likely not be recovered until the plane can be lifted from the Potomac River.

The crash marks the deadliest air disaster in the U.S. since 2001.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct the date marking the most recent deadliest plane crash in the U.S.

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