Chilling Audio Reveals Air Traffic Control’s Final Instructions to Doomed Black Hawk, Panicked Aftermath
On Wednesday, a tragic incident occurred when a Black Hawk helicopter collided with a passenger jet near the Potomac River. Air traffic controllers had instructed the Army helicopter to maintain a safe distance from the Bombardier CRJ-701 jet as it was preparing to land. Just moments after these instructions, the two aircraft collided, resulting in the deaths of everyone aboard—the 60 passengers and four crew members in the jet, and the three soldiers in the helicopter.
After the incident,air traffic controllers communicated their shock and confusion,and it became evident that debris from the collision fell into the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport. Prior to the accident, the passenger jet was directed to land on Runway 33, and controllers had engaged with both the helicopter and the jet prior to the collision, receiving communications indicating that the helicopter had visual contact with the jet. The crash was witnessed by tower controllers, who expressed their alarm instantly after the impact. As a result, all flight operations were suspended in response to the disaster.
In the moments before a Black Hawk helicopter collided with a passenger jet over the Potomac River on Wednesday, air traffic controllers instructed the Army chopper to move away from the jet coming in for a landing.
“PAT 25 pass behind the CRJ,” an air traffic controller said, using the call sign for the chopper and referring to a Bombardier CRJ-701 twin-engine jet as CRJ.
Seconds later the collision occurred that led to the deaths of all aboard the jet and helicopter, according to WTTG.
“Yep, we saw it. Everybody just hold your positions please on the field right now,” an air traffic controller can be heard saying after the collision, which led to debris falling into the Potomac near Reagan National Airport.
The 60 passengers and four crew members aboard the jet and the three soldiers in the helicopter all died.
During its approach, the passenger jet arriving from Wichita, Kansas, was directed to land on Runway 33.
LISTEN: Air traffic control audio emerges from the moments before and after a Black Hawk military helicopter crashed into a packed American Airlines flight. pic.twitter.com/qGFNBzesF2
— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 30, 2025
The air traffic controller then called out to the Sikorsky UH-60 helicopter, according to Fox News.
“PAT25, do you have the CRJ in sight? PAT 25 pass behind the CRJ,” the controller said.
Fox reported that a response was received “but on a different frequency, a frequency for helicopters.”
An audio of traffic indicated that moments before the collision, there was a transmission from the helicopter reporting, “Aircraft in sight. Request visual separation.”
Helicopter reports visual separation place at 17:34 in this audio.
Then at about 17:50 you hear Air traffic control with voices in the tower shouting, evidently seeing it happen
— Sarah Burris (@SarahBurris) January 30, 2025
Multiple accounts then noted that the collision took place and was witnessed by tower controllers, whose audible gasps of shock mark the moment of impact.
“Tower, did you see that?” Fox reported one controller as saying.
“Yup, we saw it,” a voice responding said.
Audio between PAT25 and DCA tower asking if they have the CRJ in sight. Affirms and requests visual separation. pic.twitter.com/6VAxx9zmv5
— NOVA Scanner Updates (@NOVAScanner) January 30, 2025
“Everybody hold your positions on the field right now,” a controller said.
“Fire command. The accident happened in the river. Both the helicopter and the plane crashed in the river. … He approached into Runway 33,” the controller said.
“All runways are closed. Nobody’s landing. No one moving at all,” the controller said.
“It was probably out in the middle of the river,” the controller said. “I just saw a fireball and then it was just gone. I haven’t seen anything since they hit the river. But it was a CRJ and a helicopter that hit, I would say about a half mile off the approach into 33.”
Other audio reported frantic messages being sent after the midair fireball was seen.
“Crash, crash, crash, this is an alert three,” one controller said, according to USA Today.
“I don’t know if you caught earlier what happened, but there was a collision on the approach into 33. We’re going to be shutting down operations for the indefinite future,” another controller said.
“Both the helicopter and the plane crashed in the river,” a controller said.
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