Mysterious fault and visual villa may have caused the crash

The helicopter crew is believed to have seen the wrong plan before the deadly collision.

Only two seconds before the crash did the pilots on board the Flight 5342 horror in the air that came against them.

A mysterious cockpit error may also have contributed to the worst air accident in the United States in 24 years.

The military pilots on the Black Hawk helicopter missed an important instruction from the control tower at Ronald Reagan Airport in Washington seconds before the collision.

They are also believed to have a mysterious problem with the height meters in cockpit that gave different results to both pilots.

Saw the wrong plan

It shows a preliminary report from the US Accident Investigation Board NTSB on its investigation into the Washington Air accident on January 29.

New tasks, and a 3D analysis by the Washington Postshows that the helicopter crew’s confirmation to the tower that they had flight 5342 in sight was probably not correct.

Probably it was a second plane, just behind the accident flight, they saw.

64 people died aboard American Eagle Flight 5342 when it collided in the air with a military helicopter on training assignments over the Potomac River.

The plane of the type Bombardier CRJ700, which flew on behalf of American Airlines, had been in the air for two hours and 30 minutes when the crash occurred during the approach to the Reagan airport.

Missed the instruction

The three soldiers aboard the helicopter also died.

The communication between the helicopter crew and the air traffic control tower was quickly published after the crash.

It turned out that the helicopter pilots had a look at Flight 5342.

Sound recordings show that the air traffic controller was in contact with both the helicopter (Pat 2–5) and the Bombardier plane (CRJ).

– Pat 2–5, do you see CRJ? asked the air traffic controller.

– Pat 2–5, pass behind CRJ, then he said.

– Pat 2–5 has aircraft in sight, confirmed the helicopter pilot.

13 seconds later the collision occurred.

Now NTSB states that the important instruction “pass behind CRJ” was never perceived by the crew in the helicopter because they pushed the button down to their microphone at the same moment, writes ABC News.

Had problems with the height

The Accident Investigation Board also states that the crew seems to have had problems with the height meters.

One pilot believed that the helicopter was at 300 feet, the other that they were at 200 feet, says NTSB.

In addition, the aircraft they saw may have been American Airlines Flight 3130 which flew just behind and to the right of Flight 5342.

According to experts with whom the Washington Post talked to, and a 3D analysis that the newspaper made of the last fate-filling seconds of the approach to the Reagan airport, Flight 5342 was probably hidden for the helicopter crew of the lights from the ground.

Flight 3130, on the other hand, flew over the dark Potomac River and should have been clearly seen.

Reacted two seconds before the crash

The fact that the soldiers aboard the military helicopter are said to have carried dark binoculars may have contributed to the confusion and made the city lights and the light of the plane flow together, Writes the Washington Post.

Only two seconds before the collision have the pilots on board Flight 5342 “a verbal reaction” on the approaching danger, NTSB states According to ABC News.

They are desperately trying to rise, but it is just too late. A second later, the collision is heard before everything becomes silent on the sound recording.

Both the Bombardier plane and the helicopter crash in the river to shocked witnesses in the capital.

A huge rescue effort began. But no one could be taken out of the river alive.