Before D.C. Plane Crash, Army Helicopter Was Flying 100 Feet Too High and Twice Warned About Passenger Jet: Officials

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Before D.C. Plane ******, Army Helicopter Was Flying 100 Feet Too High and Twice Warned About Passenger Jet: Officials

Officials have released new information regarding the U.S. Army ****** Hawk helicopter that collided with

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on Jan. 29, which resulted in the death of

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.

In

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on Saturday, Feb. 1, officials from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) told reporters that the

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crashed into the plane between 300 feet and 350 feet above the ground, meaning it was flying more than 100 feet higher than it was authorized.

Investigators stated that the helicopter was flying on a pre-approved route known as Route 4 and thus was not authorized to fly more than 200 feet above ground. NTSB also informed reporters that air traffic control at Reagan National alerted the helicopter team to the fact that a jet was in their vicinity twice — once at 8:46 p.m. and again at 8:47 p.m. local time — immediately before the ******.

Authorities say they do not yet know why the helicopter was flying higher than it was supposed to but that this will be central to their investigation.

ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty

Investigators gather wreckage of American Airlines flight 5342 on Jan. 30

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Investigators with the board also noted that the American Airlines flight made a sudden turn upward seconds before the collision, indicating that the pilots may have been alerted to a problem during their final descent into D.C.

“I can tell you at one point very close to the impact, there was a slight change in pitch, an increase in pitch,” safety board member Todd Inman said during the briefing.

In a briefing on Jan. 30, chief of staff for the Army’s aviation directorate, Jonathan Koziol, told reporters that the ****** Hawk was on a training mission at the time of the ******, specifically preparing to evacuate government officials in the event of a catastrophic event.

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Pilots “need to be able to understand the environment, the air traffic, the routes, to ensure the safe travel of our senior leaders throughout our government,” he added,

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As of Jan. 31, the bodies of 41 ****** victims have been recovered, and the remains of 28 of them have been positively identified. D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John A. Donnelly has stated that the remainder of the bodies will likely not be recovered

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from the Potomac River.

The Jan. 29 ****** marks the deadliest air disaster in the U.S. since September 11, 2001.

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#D.C #Plane #****** #Army #Helicopter #Flying #Feet #High #Warned #Passenger #Jet #Officials

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