Horrifying new video of DC air crash shows doomed plane barrel roll into Potomac River

Surveillance cameras filmed the infinitesimal an hose collided with an service chopper implicit DC, causing the worst US aerial catastrophe successful 23 years.

Sixty passengers, 4 crew, and 3 US Army unit are dormant aft the collision 400ft implicit the Potomac River sent some craft into the water.

The American Airlines level smashed into a US Army Black Hawk chopper arsenic it came into onshore astatine Reagan National Airport conscionable earlier 9pm connected Wednesday.

Passengers aboard Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas, included members of the US fig skating squad who were returning from the US Figure Skating Championships.

The CCTV footage from 2 angles showed the Bombardier CRJ700 hose dilatory approaching the runway, its lights shining brightly against the nighttime sky.

Suddenly the chopper entered the frame, traveling overmuch much rapidly from the left, heading consecutive for the rider plane.

Neither craft appeared to alteration people oregon person immoderate clip to effort evasive enactment earlier a huge, convulsive detonation lit up the sky.

What was near of the chopper appeared to proceed consecutive done and clang consecutive into the water, portion the level splintered into pieces.

The largest portion of the level flipped extremity implicit end, doing astir a afloat rotation earlier hitting the h2o and disappearing.

Smaller pieces of the wreckage dilatory rained down, similar the debris from a firework display.

The surveillance footage was replayed and filmed connected a phone, past aboriginal obtained by CNN.

The detonation was besides disposable connected dashcam footage from highways that snake past the airdrome and on either broadside of the river.

Much of the wreckage is inactive astatine the bottommost of the Potomac with much than a twelve bodies - including 4 trapped wrong what's near of the plane.

Jake Zwieg, an aviation expert who served successful the navy, described what the passengers and unit apt experienced successful the crash.

'It was a beauteous kinetic clang - we've each seen the large detonation and evidently the helicopter's rotor blades went done the bottommost of the aircraft, helium said connected Fox News.

'Aircraft turned and crashed into the water. I ideate astatine astir you had astir apt 8 seconds of conscionable implicit terrifying fear.

'I mean evidently we can't spell speech to immoderate of the victims, but, I mean, astir apt the astir horrific happening that you could unrecorded through.' 

Zwieg besides shared his archetypal absorption to the fatal collision, relating it backmost to his ain subject experiences. 

'As a feline that's ridden successful helicopters, I'm gonna archer you close present - I was down astatine Seal Team 8 and we had 5 chopper crashes down there. Helicopter is not your person erstwhile it's falling retired of the sky,' helium said.

At slightest 40 bodies person been recovered from a Washington DC craft collision which has wiped retired full household units, including a TikTok skating star, a famed jock couple, and each 4 hose unit members.

Figure skaters Spencer Lane, 16, Brielle Beyer, 12, and Jinna Han, 13, are among much than a twelve children who died connected the plane.

Famed Russian skating mates Evgenia Shishkova, 53, and Vadim Naumov, 56, alongside Lane, Beyer and Han's mothers besides mislaid their lives.

The bodies of each 4 formation unit members - including 1 who was specified months distant from a promotion and wedding - were besides recovered from the debris. 

Bodies of 2 of the 3 soldiers who were flying successful the chopper person besides been recovered.

Three unidentified Fairfax County students and six parents - 2 who were unit members - besides died, the schoolhouse territory confirmed.