DC plane crash air traffic control audio reveals moment controllers saw disaster: 'Tower did you see that?'

Air Traffic Control (ATC) audio from Wednesday’s collision betwixt an Army Black Hawk chopper and an American Airlines pitchy reveals the moments earlier and aft controllers witnessed the catastrophe unfold. 

The 2 craft collided astatine Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, at astir 9 p.m. with 60 passengers and 4 unit members onboard the rider jet, portion 3 soldiers were wrong the helicopter. A monolithic betterment cognition is underway connected the Potomac River.

In the aerial postulation power audio, a controller tin beryllium heard directing American Airlines Flight 5342 to instrumentality Runway 33.

Air Traffic Control (ATC) audio from Wednesday’s collision betwixt an Army Black Hawk chopper and an American Airlines pitchy reveals the moments earlier and aft controllers witnessed the catastrophe unfold. (EarthCam)

AMERICAN AIRLINES PLANE, ARMY HELICOPTER COLLIDE OUTSIDE REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT NEAR WASHINGTON DC

The AA aviator confirms helium tin instrumentality Runway 33 and is wide to onshore the aircraft, a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 determination jet, referred to arsenic "CRJ."

The controller past instructs the helicopter, an Army UH-60 chopper Sikorsky UH-60 helicopter, referred to arsenic "PAT25," to walk down the jet.

"PAT25, bash you person the CRJ successful sight? PAT 25 walk down the CRJ," the controller says.

No effect is heard connected the ATC audio feed. Fox News has learned that the chopper did respond, but connected a antithetic frequency, a frequence for helicopters.

About 40 seconds aboriginal crushed postulation power alerted the tower.

American Airlines Flight 5342 to instrumentality Runway 33. (Fox News)

REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT CRASH: MILITARY BLACK HAWK HELICOPTER COLLIDES MIDAIR WITH AMERICAN AIRLINES JET

"Tower Did you spot that?"

"Yup we saw it," idiosyncratic from the operation says, and past the controllers statesman the process of frantically diverting the flights.

"Everybody clasp your positions connected the tract close now," a pistillate controller says.

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"Fire command. The mishap happened successful the river. Both the chopper and the level crashed successful the river... he approached into Runway 33," she says.

"All runways are closed. Nobody's landing, nary 1 moving astatine all," she tells the occurrence command, adding that helium has clearance to usage each taxiways and runways for a response. 

"It was astir apt retired successful the mediate of the river, the controller says. "I conscionable saw a fireball and past it was conscionable gone. I haven't seen thing since they deed the river. But it was a CRJ and a chopper that hit, I would accidental astir a fractional mile disconnected the attack into 33," she says.

At the clip of the crash, Reagan National Airport reported wide skies, visibility of 10 miles and winds sustained retired of the northwest astatine 16 mph, gusting to 26 mph. The somesthesia astatine the clip was 50 degrees.

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The Army told Fox News Digital that the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, carrying 3 soldiers, was "from Bravo Company, 12th Aviation Battalion, retired of Davison Army Airfield, Fort Belvoir" and was conducting a "training flight."

Russian and U.S. fig skaters were on committee an American Airlines flight.

A vessel works the country successful the Potomac River adjacent Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, successful Arlington, Va. (Alex Brandon/AP)

The collision marked the archetypal clip determination has been a clang involving a U.S. commercialized formation since 2009.

Colgan Air Flight 3407, a formation from Newark, New Jersey, to Buffalo, New York, stalled and crashed during a landing attack adjacent Buffalo Niagara International Airport connected Feb. 12, 2009. The level slammed into a house.

Fox News’ Greg Wehner and Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.