Conflicting preliminary data raises questions about aircrafts’ altitude at time of midair crash

Preliminary data from the deadliest U.S. aviation accident in nearly 25 years showed conflicting readings about the altitudes of an airliner and Army helicopter when they collided near Reagan National Airport in Washington, killing everyone aboard both aircraft, investigators said Saturday.

Data from the jet’s flight recorder showed its altitude as 325 feet (99 meters), plus or minus 25 feet (7.6 meters), when the crash happened Wednesday night, National Transportation Safety Board officials told reporters. Data in the control tower, though, showed the Black Hawk helicopter at 200 feet (61 meters) at the time.

The roughly 100-foot (30-meter) discrepancy has yet to be explained.

Investigators hope to reconcile the altitude differences with data from the helicopter’s black box, which is taking more time to retrieve because it was waterlogged. They also said they plan to refine the tower data, which can be less reliable.

“That’s what our job is, to figure that out,” said NTSB member Todd Inman, who grew increasingly agitated with reporters’ questions seeking more information and clarity about the readings during a Saturday evening news conference.

He acknowledged that there was dissension within the investigative team about whether to release the information or wait until they had more data.

No one survived the collision, which occurred as an American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas, carrying 64 passengers was preparing to land at Ronald Reagan National Airport, just across the Potomac River from the nation’s capital, and hit an Army Black Hawk helicopter that apparently flew into the jet’s path. The helicopter had three soldiers on board

“This is a complex investigation,” said Brice Banning, NTSB investigator in charge. “There are a lot of pieces here. Our team is working hard to gather this data.”

The remains of 42 people had been pulled from the river by Saturday afternoon, including 38 that had been positively identified, Washington emergency officials said. They expect to recover all of the remains, though the wreckage of the plane’s fuselage will probably have to be pulled from the water to get all the bodies.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) Recovery crews and divers searched the Potomac River for remains and cleared wreckage Saturday from the midair collision of a passenger jet and Army helicopter that killed 67 people.

A Coast Guard cutter outfitted with a crane waited by the wreckage as occasional recovery team members slipped into the water amid a group of smaller emergency boats.

No one survived the Wednesday night collision. The remains of 42 people had been pulled from the river by Saturday afternoon, including 38 that had been positively identified, according to Washington emergency officials. They expect to recover all of the remains, though the wreckage of the plane’s fuselage will probably have to be pulled from the water to get all the bodies, officials said.

On Friday night the helicopter “was briefly stabilized with a crane to assist in recovery efforts, however, it has not been removed from the water,” the Washington Fire and EMS Department said in the Saturday statement.

The collision occurred as an American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas carrying 64 passengers was preparing to land at Ronald Reagan National Airport, just across the Potomac from the nation’s capital, and hit an Army Black Hawk helicopter that apparently flew into the jet’s path. The helicopter had three soldiers on board.

Army officials have said the helicopter crew was highly experienced, and familiar with the congested skies around the city. Military aircraft frequently make such flights to practice routes they would use if key government officials need to be evacuated during an attack or major catastrophe.

The National Transportation Safety Board is scheduled to update reporters on Saturday evening.

Investigators are examining the actions of the military pilot and air traffic control. Full NTSB investigations typically take at least a year, though investigators hope to have a preliminary report within 30 days.

Other possible factors in the crash, including the helicopter’s altitude and whether the crew was using night vision goggles, are still under investigation, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Fox News Channel.

Black boxes have been recovered from both aircraft.

More than 300 responders were taking part in the recovery effort at a given time, officials said. After a rainy Friday, clear skies and warmer temperatures made for better conditions Saturday for workers in the field. Two Navy salvage barges were also expected to arrive to lift heavy wreckage.

“This is heartbreaking work,” Washington, D.C., Fire Chief John Donnelly Sr. told reporters told reporters Friday. “It’s been a tough response for a lot of our people.”

With the nation already grieving the collision, an air ambulance plane slammed into a busy intersection in a crowded Philadelphia neighborhood Friday night, killing all six people on board, including a child who had just undergone treatment at a hospital and at least one person on the ground. At least three people remained hospitalized Saturday with injuries, though officials said it could be days until the full toll of the dead and injured is clear.

In Washington, the Federal Aviation Administration heavily restricted helicopter traffic around the airport on Friday, hours after President Donald Trump claimed in a social media post that the helicopter had been flying higher than allowed.

NTSB member Todd Inman told reporters Friday that investigators had interviewed at least one air traffic controller who was working when the crash happened. He said interviews were ongoing and that it was unclear how many controllers were on duty at the time.

Investigators will also examine staffing levels, training, hiring and other factors, in addition to looking at controllers’ records.

The FAA has long struggled with a shortage of air traffic controllers.

Officials say the helicopter’s maximum allowed altitude at the time was 200 feet (about 60 meters), though they have not said whether it had exceeded that limit.

But on Friday, one day after he questioned the helicopter pilot’s actions and blamed diversity initiatives for undermining air safety, Trump said the helicopter was “flying too high.”

“It was far above the 200 foot limit. That’s not really too complicated to understand, is it???” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.

Wednesday’s crash was the deadliest in the U.S. since Nov. 12, 2001, when a jet slammed into a residential neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens, just after takeoff from Kennedy Airport. The crash killed all 260 people on board and five people on the ground.

Experts regularly highlight that plane travel is overwhelmingly safe, but the crowded airspace around Reagan National can challenge even the most experienced pilots.