By now, everyone has seen the video footage that shows the harrowing moment American Airlines Flight 5342 collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.
5342 had departed Wichita, Kansas, before crashing into the military aircraft over the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan National Airport.
Sixty passengers and four crew members were on board the American Airlines plane, while three others were on the helicopter.
Everyone is presumed to be deceased as bodies continue to get pulled from the water.
Following the crash, millions wanted to know how something so rare could happen in the United States.
An X user, @visionik, claims to be a pilot and gave the perfect explanation as to what happened between American Airlines Flight and the Army Black Hawk helicopter.
1. American Airlines flight 5432 (LANDING FLIGHT), a CRJ700 operated by PSA Airlines, was inbound to runway 33 on whats called “short final”, the last stage of landing, about 400 feet in altitude.
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2. An Army Blackhawk training flight PAT25 (HELICOPTER) was flying perpendicular to the flight path of 5432 along the Potomac River. The Potomac is a designated helicopter flight path/flight corridor.
3. PAT25 was flying on Visual Flight Rules (VFR); flight 4532 on Instrument Flight Rules (IFR). This means that flight 5432 had priority, and the helicopter should have been constantly looking out visually for other aircraft.
4. Moments before the crash, the DCA tower called to PAT25 and asked them to confirm they had the “[other] aircraft in sight.”
5. PAT25 replied that they had the aircraft in sight.
As a pilot, here is what I think happened:
— visionik — e/acc (@visionik) January 30, 2025
Facts:
1. American Airlines flight 5432 (LANDING FLIGHT), a CRJ700 operated by PSA airlines, was inbound to runway 33 on whats called "short final", the last stage of landing, about 400 feet in altitude.
2. An Army Blackhawk training… pic.twitter.com/rwVqHbCgJG
In his final “opinion,” @visionik states that he believes PAT25 was actually looking at the departing flight instead of American Airlines Flight 5342 which was getting set to land, resulting in the deadly tragedy over the Potomac River.
American Airlines CEO Issues Statement After American Airlines Flight 5342 Collides With Helicopter
An American Airlines jet carrying 64 people collided Wednesday with a helicopter near Reagan Washington National Airport.
There were no survivors.
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom issued a statement late Wednesday after American Airlines Flight 5342 collided with a military helicopter and crashed into the Potomac River near Washington, D.C.
“I’d like to express our deep sorrow about these events. This is a difficult day for all of us at American Airlines, and our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of our passengers, crew members, partners, first responders, along with their families and loved ones,” Isom said.
