Air traffic controllers warned US Army helicopter before crash with passenger plane

Near Washington, D.C., air traffic controllers warned the pilot of a U.S. Army helicopter before it collided with a commercial airliner operated by PSA Airlines. Audio recordings obtained by CNN reveal that controllers asked the Black Hawk helicopter if it saw an aircraft operated by PSA Airlines less than 30 seconds before the collision.

“PAT 2-5, do you see the CRJ?” the air traffic controller said before the accident. The controller then added, “PAT 2-5, pass behind the CRJ.” The recording captured shouts from inside the helicopter at the moment of impact. Afterward, the controller notified another pilot about the collision, which was also recorded.

The controller informed another pilot, "I don't know if you heard what happened earlier, there was a collision on the approach end of 3-3 runway. We're going to be shut down indefinitely if you guys want to go back to the gate. I highly suggest you coordinate with your company and let me know what you want to do.” One pilot responded that he saw a "flash across the Potomac." Another pilot, in audio transmitted to the tower after the incident, asked, "Tower, did you see that?"

The controller then stated, "Apparently, both aircraft involved are in the river, and search and rescue will be ongoing.” According to the Associated Press, air traffic controllers also asked the incoming commercial plane if it could land on the shorter Runway 33 at Reagan National Airport minutes before the crash. The pilots confirmed they could, and controllers cleared the plane to land on Runway 33 before the collision. Flight tracking websites show the plane adjusting its approach to the new runway before the impact.

According to the Associated Press, the plane's transponder stopped transmitting roughly as it was crossing over the river. U.S. President Donald Trump has been briefed on the crash and addressed the incident on his social media platform, "Truth Social." The President noted the clear weather that evening and questioned why the helicopter did not see the approaching aircraft. Trump wrote, “Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do, rather than asking them if they saw the plane? This looks like it could have been avoided, very bad!” A law enforcement source told CNN that the plane had broken apart in the water, and the helicopter was also in the nearby water.