ARLINGTON, Va. — Preliminary data from the deadliest U.S. aviation accident in nearly 25 years showed conflicting readings about the altitudes of an airliner and Army helicopter when they collided near Reagan National Airport in Washington, killing everyone aboard both aircraft, investigators said.
They also said that about a second before impact, the jet’s flight recorder showed a change in its pitch. But they did not say whether that change in angle meant that pilots were trying to perform an evasive maneuver to avoid the crash.
Data from the jet’s flight recorder showed its altitude as 325 feet, plus or minus 25 feet, when the crash happened Wednesday night, National Transportation Safety Board officials told reporters.
Data in the control tower, though, showed the Black Hawk helicopter at 200 feet at the time.
The roughly 100-foot discrepancy has yet to be explained.
Investigators hope to reconcile the altitude differences with data from the helicopter's black box, which is taking more time to retrieve because it became waterlogged after it plunged into the Potomac River. They also said they plan to refine the tower data, which can be less reliable.
“That’s what our job is, to figure that out,” said NTSB member Todd Inman, who grew increasingly agitated with reporters' questions seeking more information and clarity about the readings during a Saturday evening news conference.
He acknowledged that there was dissension within the investigative team about whether to release the information or wait until they had more data.
Officials say the helicopter’s maximum allowed altitude at the time was 200 feet.
No one survived the collision, which occurred as an American Airlines flight from Wichita with 64 people on board was preparing to land at Ronald Reagan National Airport, just across the Potomac from the capital. The Army Black Hawk helicopter, which apparently flew into the jet’s path, had three soldiers on board.
“This is a complex investigation,” said Brice Banning, NTSB investigator in charge. “There are a lot of pieces here. Our team is working hard to gather this data.”
Banning also discussed the last moments from the jet's two black boxes, which captured sound in the cockpit and flight data.
“The crew had a verbal reaction,” Banning said, with the data recorder showing “the airplane beginning to increase its pitch. Sounds of impact were audible about one second later, followed by the end of the recording.”
Inman expressed frustration, too, that accidents like these occur, noting that the board has made “several hundred” recommendations to improve aviation that have not been acted upon.
“From tragedy we draw knowledge to improve the safety for us all. That’s what we’re doing right now: We’re dealing with tragedy, but we need to improve safety,” he said.
“You want to do something about it? Adopt the recommendation of the NTSB. You’ll save lives,” he said, adding that he has spent hours with victims' families since the crash. “I don’t want to have to meet with those parents like that again.”
The families, he said, are struggling.
“Some wanted to give us hugs. Some are just mad and angry,” Inman said. “They are just all hurt. And they still want answers, and we want to give them answers.”
Families of the victims visited the crash site on Sunday as divers scoured the submerged wreckage for more remains. The families were taken in buses with a police escort to the Potomac River bank near where the two aircraft came to rest after colliding.
Washington, D.C., Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said officials have recovered and identified 55 of the 67 people killed. He is confident all will be found.
Divers are working diligently to locate remains as crews prepare to lift wreckage from the chilly Potomac River as early as Monday morning, Donnelly said at a news conference. The wreckage will be loaded onto flatbed trucks and taken to a hangar for investigation.
Col. Francis Pera of the Army Corps of Engineers said divers and salvage workers are adhering to strict protocols and will stop moving debris if a body is found. The “dignified recovery” of remains takes precedence over all else, he said.
“Reuniting those lost in this tragic incident is really what keeps us all going,” Pera said. “We’ve got teams that have been working this effort since the beginning, and we’re committed to making this happen.”
Divers have high-definition cameras with feeds monitored on support boats, Pera said, putting “four or five sets of eyes” inside of the wreckage. Owing to the frigid conditions, one diver was treated at a hospital for hypothermia, Donnelly said.
Investigators are examining the actions of the military pilot and air traffic control. The Federal Aviation Administration has long struggled with a shortage of controllers.
Full NTSB investigations typically take at least a year, though investigators hope to have a preliminary report within 30 days.
Wednesday's crash was the deadliest in the U.S. since Nov. 12, 2001, when a jet slammed into a residential neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens, just after takeoff from Kennedy Airport. The crash killed all 260 people on board and five people on the ground.
Experts regularly highlight that plane travel is overwhelmingly safe, but the crowded airspace around Reagan National can challenge even the most experienced pilots.
