Flight recorder found

Washington crash: 24 hours before near-collision

The recovery operation is continuing, but it is now clear that there are no survivors after the plane crash in Washington.

(Bild: AP)

Following the plane crash in Washington in which 67 people lost their lives, the flight recorder of the military helicopter involved has now also been recovered. This is a combined device that records both cockpit conversations and digital flight data. It became known that there had almost been a collision between the plane and a helicopter 24 hours before the accident. There were also too few air traffic controllers on duty.

According to the Washington Post, the following scenario is said to have occurred exactly 24 hours before the collision between American Airlines flight 5342 and a Black Hawk helicopter: On approach to land at Reagan National Airport, the pilot of the regional passenger plane spotted a military helicopter on a collision course. He pulled the aircraft up, made a sharp turn and thus prevented a fatal mid-air collision.

This incident on Tuesday could be reconstructed with the help of the flight radar and the recording of the radio traffic between the tower and the pilots.

About the accident in Washington

• On Wednesday evening, an American Airlines passenger plane collided with a military helicopter on landing at Ronald Reagan Airport (DCA). Both crashed into the Potomac River.
• There were 60 passengers and four crew members on board the plane. There were three crew members on board the helicopter.
• According to the authorities, all 67 people died in the accident. 40 bodies have already been recovered, but the cause of the crash is still unclear.

Pilot reacted quickly
Republic Airways Flight 4514 had departed from Winsdsor Locks in Connecticut. While descending to Reagan National Airport, the pilot pulled up the control stick just before the Potomac River at around 8:05 p.m. local time and the twin-engine Embraer ERJ 175 went into a drastic steep climb. The pilot informed the tower "We have to circle around" and then made a sharp right turn.

Automatic emergency signal
The co-pilot radioed to the air traffic controller: "We had an RA because of the helicopter traffic below us." RA is the code for "Automatic Emergency Signal", which warns pilots of a risk of collision with a nearby aircraft. The aircraft landed safely on the second attempt at 20:16.

Too few air traffic controllers on duty
According to a preliminary report by the FAA, there were too few air traffic controllers on duty "for the time and volume of aircraft". Which happens every day. According to an expert on CNN, there are only 24 certified air traffic controllers on duty at Reagan National Airport - but there should be a minimum of 30 to cover all services.

Too long working hours, too little rest
Which is why the air traffic controllers regularly had to work ten hours a day, six days a week in the tower to compensate for the staff shortage. As a result, the air traffic controller on duty during the accident had to control both helicopter traffic and air traffic at the same time - which is normally done by two air traffic controllers on different radio frequencies.