The airplane crew then received an automated traffic advisory stating “traffic, traffic.” As the helicopter came closer, the plane increased its pitch, reaching about nine degrees nose up at the time of collision, near its maximum level.
The air traffic control direction was delivered 17 seconds before impact, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said during a news conference on Friday.
Twenty seconds before impact, air traffic control sent a radio transmission asking the Black Hawk crew if the jet was in sight.
Seconds later, American Eagle Flight 5342 collided with the helicopter, killing sixty-four on the plane and three Army soldiers on the helicopter.
The Federal Aviation Administration has now restricted air traffic along the area over the Potomac River and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
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