Air traffic control audio details deadly Washington plane crash: 'I just saw a fireball'

Air traffic control audio details deadly Washington plane crash: ‘I just saw a fireball’

Posted by author January 30, 2025 Travel

Air traffic control audio captured the dramatic communications both before and after a military helicopter collided Wednesday night with a passenger airplane in Washington D.C.

The crash occurred just before 9 p.m. when American Airlines Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas, which was attempting to land at the Reagan Washington National Airport, collided with the Black Hawk helicopter. First-responders continued to search the frigid Potomac River as of Thursday morning for any sign of survivors, but scores were feared dead, officials said.

LiveATC.net, a respected source for in-flight recording, recorded the moments before and after the crash, according to reporting from Reuters. The audio details communications between air traffic controllers and other aircraft, as well as the the final communication attempt with the three Army crew members in the helicopter – call sign PAT25 – before the collision with the jet carrying 64 passengers and crew.

Air traffic control audio: ‘I just saw a fireball’

At 8:47 p.m., an air traffic controller is heard hailing the helicopter.

“PAT25, do you have a CRJ in sight? PAT25, pass behind the CRJ,” an air traffic controller says.

Seconds later, another aircraft called in to air traffic control, saying, “Tower, did you see that?” – apparently referring to the crash. An air traffic controller then redirected planes heading to runway 33 at Reagan Washington National Airport to go around.

“Crash, crash, crash, this is an alert three,” one of the air traffic controllers can be heard saying in the audio from around the time of the crash.

“I don’t know if you caught earlier what happened, but there was a collision on the approach into 33. We’re going to be shutting down operations for the indefinite future,” another controller remarked.

“Both the helicopter and the plane crashed in the river,” a third air traffic controller can be heard saying.

“It was probably out in the middle of the river,” the controller said. “I just saw a fireball and then it was just gone. I haven’t seen anything since they hit the river. But it was a CRJ and a helicopter that hit.”

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Flights to resume at Reagan airport; Defense dept. to investigate

Among those on board the flight were a group of figure skaters, their coaches and family members returning home from the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, according to a statement from U.S. Figure Skating, the sport’s American governing body.

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport will not resume flights until at least 11 a.m. Thursday, the airport said in a statement.

The U.S. Army confirmed the aircraft involved in Wednesday’s crash was an UH-60 helicopter out of Fort Belvoir, Virginia. The Army and the United States Department of Defense “immediately” opened an investigation into the crash, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a post on X early Thursday morning.

Contributing: Christopher Cann, USA TODAY; Reuters

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com