Washington plane crash: Chilling new audio as black box recovered

Air traffic control audio has emerged following a midair crash between a passenger aircraft and military helicopter in Washington, as the plane’s recording devices were recovered. Listen to the audio.

Chilling audio from air traffic control captured the moment the flight safety agency reported the midair collision between an American Airlines plane and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan National Airport.

What we know:

– There were no survivors, said US President Donald Trump and US officials

– More than 40 bodies have been recovered from the plane, CNN reports citing multiple sources, and three from the helicopter

– The Skating Club of Boston confirmed several of its members were on the AA flight

– The American Airlines plane black boxes have been recovered

– Inflatable boats, dive teams and helicopters searched in below freezing temperatures but dive ops are done for the day due to difficult to see conditions

– One controller, rather than the usual two, was handling both plane and helicopter traffic at the time of the crash, according to a New York Times report

In a recording of air tower communications, captured by LiveATC.net, an aircraft can be heard calling the tower just seconds after the passenger plane and crew got in touch, The New York Post reports.

“Tower, did you see that?” one air traffic controller asked, referring to the collision.

Search and rescue efforts are seen around a wreckage site in the Potomac River from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia. Picture: AP

Another air traffic controller then redirected all aircraft heading to Runway 33 to go around.

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

“I don’t know if you caught earlier what happened, but there was a collision on the approach into 33,” another air traffic controller was heard saying.

“We’re going to be shutting down operations for the indefinite future.”

“Both the helicopter and the plane crashed in the river,” a third air traffic controller said.

“It was probably out in the middle of the river. 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.”

It comes as the flight data and cockpit voice recorders have been recovered from the passenger jet, US media reported.

Sources familiar with the investigation confirmed to CBS News and ABC News on that the recording devices commonly known as black boxes were recovered from the crashed plane and would be analysed by the National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the investigation.

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Originally published as Washington plane crash: Chilling new audio as black box recovered