Investigators have concluded that all 67 persons on board both aircraft were killed when a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter struck a commercial flight near Washington, D.C., while it was flying at an unsafe height. One of the deadliest aviation catastrophes in recent memory was the January 29 collision that happened close to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
The Black Hawk attacked an American Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 jet on approach when it was operating at about 300 feet, which is 100 feet higher than allowed in that airspace, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Prior to the incident, the helicopter crew had received at least two warnings from air traffic control, but there was no sign that they acted appropriately in time.
Both planes broke apart in the crash, and pieces of the broken aircraft fell into the Potomac River. Emergency personnel rushed to the scene, but neither the three military men on the helicopter nor the 64 passengers and crew on the commercial airplane survived.
Since then, recovery crews have recovered both flight recorders, which are currently being examined to see whether there were any other contributing circumstances to the collision. While the inquiry is ongoing, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has temporarily restricted helicopter operations near the airport.
Though preliminary findings have already prompted worries about military and civilian aircraft operating in close proximity to busy airports, officials believe it may take months to produce a full report on the disaster.