The deadly Washington DC plane collision between a US passenger plane and a military helicopter on Wednesday raised serious concerns over the response, or lack thereof, from air traffic controllers at the time of the tragic crash.
According to The Associated Press, audio from the air traffic control tower around the time of the crash captured the grim moment.
What happened before Washington DC plane crash? Audio released
Less than 30 seconds before the crash, an air traffic controller asked the helicopter if it had the arriving plane in sight: “PAT25, do you have the CRJ in sight?”
When there was no response, the controller issued a second call, directing the helicopter to “pass behind the CRJ.”
However, no response was received, and the two aircraft collided seconds later.
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Seconds later, another pilot is heard calling after the apparent collision: “Tower, did you see that?”
{{/usCountry}}Seconds later, another pilot is heard calling after the apparent collision: “Tower, did you see that?”
{{/usCountry}}The air traffic controller then immediately began diverting other aircraft from the Reagan National Airport, according to AP.
Notably, the plane’s radio transponder stopped transmitting about 2,400 feet short of the runway, roughly over the middle of the Potomac.
Washington DC plane crash: 28 bodies recovered so far
The regional jet, operated by American Airlines subsidiary PSA Airlines, was carrying 64 people, including passengers and crew when it collided with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter, which had three soldiers onboard.
Washington Fire Chief John Donnelly later said that there are likely no survivors from the collision as recovery operations pulled 28 bodies from the river into which both the aircrafts crashed.
The midair crash happened around 9 p.m. when a regional jet at the end of a flight from Wichita, Kansas, collided with a military helicopter on a training exercise, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Washington DC plane collision: Why Potomac rescue operation was difficult
Addressing a press briefing, Washington Fire chief John Donnelly described the operation as one carried out under “extremely rough” conditions and gave little indication they expected to find anyone alive.
Describing the dire conditions and challenges that the rescuers faced, Mayor Bowser said that the agents were working in very dark, cold conditions – cold water – to execute the operation, making it one of the most difficult rescue missions in American history.
“The water that we’re operating in is about eight feet deep. There is wind. There are pieces of ice out there. So it’s just dangerous and hard to work in,” Donnelly told the New York Post.