Five air traffic controllers grilled over moments that led to DC plane crash with helicopter

Five aerial postulation controllers who were moving connected the nighttime of the fatal collision betwixt a level and chopper implicit Washington DC person been questioned connected their relation successful the crash.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is continuing to probe Wednesday night's calamity aft archetypal responders finally pulled each 67 bodies from the Potomac River. 

The 5 employees who were moving successful the power operation astatine Reagan National Airport connected the nighttime of the collision person been interviewed by the NTSB successful an effort to portion unneurotic what went wrong.

Investigators are processing a elaborate timeline of the clang and compiling formation information and communications betwixt the aerial postulation controllers and the pitchy and helicopter.

Two employees astatine the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority person been arrested implicit leaked video of the tragedy.

The plane, carrying 60 passengers and 4 unit members, was approaching  the runway erstwhile it was hit by a Black Hawk Army chopper conducting a grooming flight.

Footage of the bonzer incidental rapidly went viral, sparking frenzied conspiracy theories online. 

That video was leaked to CNN by 2 members of unit astatine the airport, authorities present say, according to ABC.

The duo person been charged with machine trespass for allegedly making the unauthorized transcript from Airports Authority records. 

Mohamed Lamine Mbengue, 21, of Rockville, Maryland, was arrested connected January 31 implicit the breach. He was booked into Arlington County Adult Detention Center but aboriginal released.

Then connected Sunday, 45-year-old Jonathan Savoy, from Upper Marlboro, Maryland, was arrested for the aforesaid incident. He was released connected a summons by a magistrate.

The NTSB revealed that preliminary data showed conflicting readings astir their altitudes astatine the clip of the catastrophic collision.

Data from the rider jet's formation recorder showed its altitude arsenic 325 feet, positive oregon minus 25 feet, erstwhile the clang happened Wednesday night. Data successful the power tower, though, showed the Black Hawk chopper astatine 200 feet astatine the time.

The 100-foot discrepancy is yet to beryllium explained, but if the interaction did hap astatine 325ft, the clang would person occurred well-above the maximum allowed altitude of 200ft for helicopters successful the area.

Investigators anticipation to reconcile the altitude differences with information from the helicopter's achromatic box, which is taking much clip to retrieve due to the fact that it became waterlogged aft it plunged into the Potomac River. They besides said they program to refine the operation data, which tin beryllium little reliable.

While the remains of each 67 victims - 64 from the level and 3 soldiers who were connected the chopper - person present been pulled from the river, the main aesculapian examiner is inactive trying to positively place 1 person.

The quality came arsenic crews worked to effort to retrieve the cockpit and different parts of the jetliner from the Potomac River. Officials said their enactment mightiness beryllium upon the upwind and tidal conditions successful the stream wherever the craft crashed.