Listen to the 'Mistake' Behind DC Plane Crash, Says ATC Veteran.
A veteran air traffic controller with 23 years of experience has shed light on what may have contributed to the tragic midair collision that killed 67 people in Washington, DC, Wednesday night. The crash involved an American Airlines jet, carrying 64 passengers and crew, and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter, which was carrying three soldiers. The collision occurred as the jet made its final approach to Ronald Reagan National Airport and the helicopter flew into its path.
Investigators have been working through the wreckage in the Potomac River, and on Thursday night, two black boxes were recovered from the American Airlines flight. While the investigation continues, one experienced air traffic controller told DailyMail.com that the audio from air traffic control (ATC) communications revealed "very ambiguous" instructions given to the helicopter pilot.
In a nearly minute-and-a-half recording, ATC operators can be heard asking the helicopter if it had visual contact with the commercial flight. The controller said, "PAT 2-5, do you have the CRJ in sight?" and shortly after requested, "Pat 2-5 pass behind the CRJ." The veteran controller, who has worked at six airports across the country, explained that these instructions, particularly if they were the helicopter’s first reference to the commercial plane, were unclear and could have caused confusion.
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"It would have been very ambiguous as far as, 'Okay, what plane? Well, where am I looking?'" the veteran controller explained. He added that when providing directions to pilots, ATC operators typically use the 12-hour clock system, specifying directions more clearly. For example, instead of just saying "look for the plane," a more specific command would be to say, "Look to your nine o'clock, three miles out."
The controller went on to stress the immense responsibility air traffic controllers carry, stating, “We have to be right all the time because if we’re not, people die. Air Traffic Controllers have hundreds if not thousands of lives on our screen, our radar scope at one time.”
In the tragic collision, the Black Hawk helicopter, which was flying from the opposite direction in dark conditions, cut through the airspace undetected by the American Airlines flight. The two aircraft collided just 400 feet above the ground, exploding on impact before plunging into the Potomac River below.
The American Airlines flight, JIA5342, and the Army Black Hawk helicopter, PAT25, appeared to be heading directly toward each other just before the crash. While the helicopter maintained a relatively straight flight path, the American Airlines jet veered as it approached for landing.
Among the victims of the crash were famed Russian figure skaters Evgenia Shishkova, 53, and Vadim Naumov, 56, along with the mothers of American figure skaters Lane and Han, who also tragically lost their lives. Additionally, all four crew members from the flight were confirmed dead, including Captain Jonathan Campos, 34, and First Officer Samuel Lilley, who were in command of the flight. The two flight attendants, Ian Epstein and Danasia Elder, also perished in the disaster.
A preliminary Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety report revealed that air traffic control staffing levels at Reagan National Airport on the night of the crash were "not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic." The report indicated that controllers were overworked, and the lack of staffing may have contributed to the confusion during the event.
Reagan National has long faced staffing shortages, with just 19 fully certified controllers as of September 2023—well below the target of 30. Chronic understaffing, worsened by turnover and burnout, has led controllers to work long shifts to cover gaps. The staffing issues were compounded that night as one controller was tasked with managing both helicopter and airplane traffic, duties that are usually split between two controllers, particularly when multiple frequencies are required.
The controller was responsible for directing both the helicopter and the planes landing at the airport, a challenging task made even more difficult by the lack of staffing and the fact that pilots of each aircraft may not have been able to hear each other.
