Search carries on for cause of crash that resulted in deadliest US air disaster since 2001 

Investigators from the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are still searching for answers, a week on since the fatal collision between American Airlines Flight 5342 and the US Army Black Hawk Helicopter over the Potomac River on 29th January.  

The collision resulted in a loss of life for 67 individuals on-board both aircraft, and took place 3 miles or 5km from both the White House and the US Capitol Building according to Associated Press. 

American Airlines Flight 5342, under the licensing name of American Eagle, was flying from Wichita, Kansas to Ronald Reagan Washington Airport in Washington D.C, when it collided with UH-60 Black Hawk. Based at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, the helicopter was on a training exercise and carried three soldiers. 

Reports from Associated Press say that the aircraft, a Canadian Bombardier CRJ-700 series twin-engine jet, was asked by air traffic controllers to use Runway 33, a shorter runway at Reagan Airport, shortly before landing.  

The pilots agreed and the landing was subsequently cleared by controllers. Thirty seconds or so before collision, air traffic controllers asked the pilot of the UH-60 Black Hawk, if they had the plane in sight, with the reply being yes.  

Moments later, the controller had made another call to the helicopter, informing the pilot to wait for the jet to pass but there was no reply, and the two aircraft collided over the Potomac River. 

NTSB investigators are examining new data from the air traffic control screen, which according to reports has highlighted that UH-60 Black Hawk was 300ft, which is 100ft above the height that it is authorised to fly on its particular route near Reagan Airport. Helicopters have to fly at designated heights and remain in a specific path to avoid commercial airplanes. 

Investigators have said that this cannot be verified until they have recovered the black box from the still submerged Black Hawk helicopter.  

The crash is the most deadliest US aviation incident since November 12th 2001, when an American Airlines flight crashed in a residential area of Belle Harbour, New York, killing all 260 people onboard. 

The most recent high profile crash was in February 2009, when a Colgan Air plane crashed near Buffalo, New York killing 50 people, including all passengers, crew and one individual on the ground. 

Ronald Reagan Airport is the 24th busiest airport in the US and according to a Federal Aviation Administration database, since 1987 has had 30 near-midair collisions (NMAC), with ten of these involving military aircraft and at least seven including military helicopters. 

On the 29th January, on the day of the crash, there was an estimated 61 aircraft on the ground, 19 of which were American Airlines, with a total combined market value of $1.2 billion, according to analysis from our ALPS Aviation Visualiser.