From Daily Mail: A horrifying video showing the moment a US Army Black Hawk helicopter smashed into a passenger jet over Washington DC, has been released, with investigators revealing the final words of the doomed crew.
The footage, captured by CCTV and played at the start of a three-day National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) hearing, shows the military chopper colliding with American Airlines Flight 5342 above the Potomac River.
A bright flash can be seen lighting up the night sky as the jet headed for Reagan National Airport.
The Black Hawk helicopter crashed due to faulty altimeter readings, leading crew to believe they were flying higher than they were.
According to the NTSB, Chief Warrant Officer Andrew Eaves told co-pilot Capt. Rebecca Lobach to “come down for me” to bring the helicopter down to 200 feet because he believed they were at 300 feet. The command came about three minutes before the crash.
An air traffic controller warned them about the passenger plane, but there appeared to be miscommunication.
Twenty seconds before the crash, an exchange of instructions and compliance appeared to be the final words of the pilots.
Eaves said, “Alright, kinda come left for me ma’am, I think that’s why he’s asking.”
Lobach replied, “Sure.”
“We’re kinda out towards the middle,” Eaves said.
Lobach replied, “Okay fine.”
The collision occurred at 8:48 pm.
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