National Transportation Safety Board investigators say data from the CRJ700 airplane that collided Wednesday night with an Army Blackhawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport on Thursday night outside Washington, D.C., suggests the copter was flying above 200 feet, the maximum altitude for the route it was using.
The officials said at a Saturday evening news briefing that they suspect such because the jet’s recovered flight data recorder, or “black box,” shows it was at 325 feet, plus or minus 25 feet, at the time of impact, officials said.
All 67 passengers and crew died in the crash, which resulted the aircraft plummeting into the icy Potomac River at about 9 p.m. local time.
Data also confirms that the air traffic controller alerted the helicopter to the presence of the CRJ700 about two minutes before the crash.
One second before impact, the crew aboard the American flight had a “verbal reaction,” according to the plane’s cockpit voice recorder, and flight data shows the plane’s nose began to rise, officials said.
The official said an automated radio transmission alerted “traffic, traffic, traffic,” was heard on the voice recorder and then sounds of the collision were heard before the recording ends. More here
