Donald Trump claims army helicopter was flying too high before DC collision that killed 67

An American Airlines jet with 60 passengers and four crew members onboard collided with the army helicopter carrying three soldiers while landing at Reagan National airport in Washington DC on Wednesday evening. Both aircraft fell into the Potomac River, with all passengers presumed dead, making the incident the deadliest US air tragedy since 2001.

US military helicopters frequently operate along a designated route over the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, known as Route 4. For safety reasons, their altitude is capped at 200 feet (61 meters).

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Friday that the black boxes onboard the Black Hawk helicopter have not yet been recovered.

“That might tell us exactly who was piloting that Black Hawk,” he told Fox News, and “if any confusion was there at the end.”

“Someone was at the wrong altitude,” Hegseth added. “The investigation will help us understand that. Was the Black Hawk too high, was it on course? Right now we don’t know.”

Despite this, both Hegseth and the Army have emphasised that the three-member crew on board the Black Hawk were experienced. According to the Army, the instructor pilot, who was designated as the pilot in command, had 1,000 flight hours, while the other pilot had 500 hours. The third crew member was a crew chief, typically positioned in the rear of the helicopter.

The helicopter belonged to the 12th Aviation Battalion, based at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. The unit is responsible for helicopter operations in the US capital area and regularly transports senior government officials.

Meanwhile, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is reportedly restricting helicopter flights near Washington Reagan National Airport indefinitely, an FAA official reportedly told Reuters.

The official, who was not named, reportedly told the news outlet that the agency was restricting most helicopters from parts of two helicopter routes near the airport, allowing only police and medical helicopters to operate in the area between the airport and nearby bridges.