Harrowing air traffic control audio captured the moments before a helicopter and plane collided in mid-air above the Potomac River in Washington DC. American Airlines flight AA5342 and US military helicopter H60 crashed into each other close to Washington Raegan National Airport at about 8:48pm local time. The American Airlines plane was incoming from Wichita, Kansas, and had been on approach for runway 33 when the two aircraft collided.
There were 60 passengers and four crew aboard the American Airlines flight, some of whom have been confirmed to be World Champion figure skaters Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov. A major search has been launched following the crash with at least 18 bodies having been recovered from the Potomac River. To follow The Mirror's live coverage, click here. More than 300 responders are working to find people from both wreckages. The moments leading up to the disaster were captured in air traffic control audio.
In the harrowing audio, an air traffic controller was heard asking the helicopter pilot: "POAT25, do you have the CRJ in sight?" The controller continued: "PAT25 pass behind the CRJ.". Further audio in the moments before the collision featured he helicopter pilot saying: "PAT25 has aircraft in sight, request visual separation." The two aircraft then collided over the Potomac River in harrowing scenes.
In the background of another audio clip, other controllers could be heard reacting to the mid-air collision. The tower then went on to alert another pilot about what had just happened. "I don’t know if you caught earlier what happened, but there was a collision on the approach end of 3-3," the air controller could be heard saying. " We are going to be shutting down operations for the indefinite future if you want to go back to the gate. Highly suggest you guys coordinate with the company. Let me know what you want to do.".
Released audio showed another pilot witnessed the crash and confirmed the sighting with one of the air traffic controllers. The pilot said: "Yeah, we were on short final, and we saw flares from the opposite side of the Potomac.". An approach controller replied: "Apparently both aircraft involved are in the river, a search and rescue will be ongoing." Audio of the crash was shared on social media by NOVA Scanner Updates.
Aviation expert Alex Macheras told The Mirror the US air traffic system has been "under immense pressure with multiple near misses. He added: "“This mid-air collision between an American Eagle regional jet and a U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter near Washington Reagan National is a deeply alarming incident, especially given how tightly controlled and congested the airspace is over the U.S. capital. While the investigation will reveal exactly what happened, this accident raises serious questions about air traffic control and airspace management and coordination, particularly in a country where air traffic control staffing shortages have been of deep concern over the last three years.".
The Mirror has contacted several aviation experts for comment. Raegan National Airport has cancelled all incoming and outgoing flights following the horror crash. The mid-air collision is one of the worst aviation disasters since the Colgan Air Flight 3407 crash near Buffalo, New York State, in February 2009. President Donald Trump questioned the circumstances surrounding the crash in a post shared to his social media platform TruthSocial: "The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport.
"The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time. It is a clear, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn. Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane. This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. Not good.". "Please say a prayer for everyone involved in the mid-air collision near Reagan airport this evening," Vice President JD Vance said in a post shared to X/Twitter in the aftermath of the tragedy. "We're monitoring the situation, but for now let's hope for the best.".
