The American Airlines flight which crashed over Washington DC appears to have been flying 125 feet higher than the helicopter it is believed to have collided with, baffling new data has revealed. A preliminary report was issued this weekend into the disaster, the deadliest in US airspace in nearly 25 years. Flight 5342 was carrying 64 people when it smashed into the Army Black Hawk on a training exercise on Wednesday night, plummeting into the Potomac River.

Data retrieved from the jet's flight recorder has revealed it was at 325ft (99m) when the crash occurred. The figure is at odds with the 200ft (61m) which the Black Hawk was placed at, using its black box. Despite a plus or minus leeway of 25ft for the plane, the disparity is still too big to explain the crash. The crash is currently under early stages of investigation. It's been suggested that the helicopter's black box became waterlogged after falling into the river, while the less reliable data from the control tower still needed to be refined, AP reports.

In a press briefing on Saturday night, Todd Inman from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said they were still trying to "figure that out" as he was plagued by questions from reporters. He also acknowledged there had been conflict amongst investigators over whether they should release the figures, or wait until there was more information. NTSB investigator Brice Banning described it as a "complex investigation", adding that black box data had revealed a "verbal reaction" from the crew in the cockpit. “There are a lot of pieces here,” he said. “Our team is working hard to gather this data.”.

A total of 60 passengers and four crew were on board Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas, when it crashed while preparing to land at Washington's Reagan National Airport on Wednesday night. The helicopter had three Army officials on board. There were no survivors, with 41 bodies since recovered from the river. Mr Inman said that families of the victims were struggling with the news. He said: “They are just all hurt. And they still want answers, and we want to give them answers.”.

Meanwhile, the female pilot on board the Black Hawk was named on Saturday night after the Srmy initially refused to release her identity due to a request from her family. Cpt. Rebecca Lobach was named as the third soldier killed in the crash, alongside Sgt. Ryan Austin O'Hara , 28, and Chief Warrant Officer 2, Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39. Full NTSB investigations can take one year minimum, although investigators are hoping for a preliminary report within 30 days. Recovery efforts at the scene meanwhile remain ongoing.