The recent American Airlines crash near the Potomac River has sent shockwaves through the world. The passenger jet carrying 64 people, including passengers and crew, collided with a military helicopter at around 9:00 PM local time on January 29. As the rescue mission continues, an ATC audio has surfaced, revealing the haunting details minutes before the flights crashed.
In the audio, Air Traffic Control operators can be heard conversing with the military helicopter’s pilot, particularly asking if they could see the commercial jet. “PAT 2-5 do you have the CRJ in sight?” at one point, the ATC staff asked with more muffled audio of commands and confirmations. Moments later, the controller requested, “PAT 2-5 pass behind the CRJ.”
However, the haunting audio clip revealed a gasp seconds later, marking the moment of the collision. Another pilot was immediately alerted of the crash. According to CNN, the operator then said, “I don’t know if you caught earlier what happened, but there was a collision on the approach end 3-3. We are going to be shutting down operations for the indefinite future if you want to go back to the gate.”
Audio of ATC (air traffic control) from the DC #planecrash can be heard asking the Blackhawk PAT25 if it has the American Airlines CRJ-700 in sight. Moments later the two aircraft collide and crash into the Potomac river – audible gasps can be heard in the control tower. pic.twitter.com/t29xmcfSV4
— Texan Angler (@texan_angler) January 30, 2025
The audio further revealed that the controller advised the pilots to coordinate with the company and then let him know. As per the reports, another pilot also witnessed the collision and confirmed the same to the controllers in the audio, “Yeah, we were on short final and we saw flares from the opposite side of the Potomac.”
According to CBS, the American Airlines jet was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members. On the other hand, the Black Hawk helicopter also had three people travelling. At around 9:00 PM on January 29, the fatal collision occurred mid-air. The passenger jet AA 5432 took off from Wichita, Kansas and was preparing for land at Ronald Reagan National Airport (near Washington, DC) when the accident happened.
How does one of the most advanced military helicopters in the world crash directly into a plane with clear conditions? I could understand if it was foggy, heavily snowing, or a rain storm, but it’s a clear night. The Blackhawk flies directly into the American Airlines plane. pic.twitter.com/rHcntD63A8
— Deity (@DopeDeity) January 30, 2025
Meanwhile, the Black Hawk Sikorsky H-60 took off from Fort Belvoir, Virginia, just a few hours earlier. According to witnesses, following the collision, both aircraft fell into the Potomac River. Since then, search teams, helicopters, and boats have been dispatched for rescue missions. As per CBS, so far, 19 bodies have been recovered from the river.
Following the devastating crash, DC Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly attended a press conference to update on the situation. He shared that his team has joined forces with the National Transportation Safety Board. They are looking into collecting and preserving any evidence that provides insights into how the collision occurred mid-air. He also commented although the team doesn’t know if there are more survivors, the first responders are doing their best.
“We will re-evaluate where we are with a rescue operation in the morning, when we get a better sense of it,” Donnelly said during the evening press conference. He noted that the freezing temperatures, added to ice-cold water and dark conditions at night, had initially created some difficulties for the rescue teams.
The casualties and other details are currently being updated.