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A chilling air control audio has revealed that the pilot of the Black Hawk helicopter that crashed on Wednesday requested visual separation. The US Army helicopter was getting perilously close to an American Airlines passenger plane, heading for a touchdown at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport at the time.
Visual separation refers to pilots relying on their sight to maintain safe distance from a different aircraft. They must be confident about the presence of other forms of approved separation before and after using visual separation.
The official FAA website states:
"Visual separation may be applied when other approved separation is assured before and after the application of visual separation. To ensure that other separation will exist, consider aircraft performance, wake turbulence, closure rate, routes of flight, known weather conditions, and aircraft position. Weather conditions must allow the aircraft to remain within sight until other separation exists. Visual separation is not authorized when the lead aircraft is a super."
All we know about the mid-air collision between the American Airlines jet and Black Hawk helicopter this far
As per the New York Post, just thirty seconds before the two aircraft collided mid-air and went pummeling down into the icy Potomac River, an aircraft controller got in touch with the Black Hawk to ask if the pilot had "spotted the CRJ." The outlet reports that the controller was referring to the incoming aircraft - the American Airlines Flight 5342, a CRJ 700.
“PAT 2-5 do you have the CRJ in sight?” the controller asked, before adding, "PAT 2-5 pass behind the CRJ."
In another audio clip, the pilot of the Black Hawk can be heard affirming that he had visual of the plane, noting, “PAT 2-5 has aircraft in sight, request visual separation.” Less than 13 seconds later, the moment of the crash can be heard, with audible gasps and frightful expressions. The audio controller then informed another pilot about the collision:
“I don’t know if you caught earlier what happened, but there was a collision on the approach end of 3-3," the controller said, referencing runway 33. "We are going to be shutting down operations for the indefinite future if you want to go back to the gate. Highly suggest you guys coordinate with the company. Let me know what you want to do."
In another audio, a pilot can be heard affirming that they witnessed the collision, noting: “Yeah, we were on short final, and we saw flares from the opposite side of the Potomac." Another approach controller chimed in: “Apparently, both aircraft involved are in the river, a search and rescue will be ongoing.”
The plane was inbound from Wichita, Kansas, containing 60 passengers and four members aboard. As for the Black Hawk, it was coming in from Langley, VA, and had three soldiers aboard. The collision happened at 8:48 p.m. on Wednesday, minutes before the plane was expected to land on the runway.
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CNN has reported that at the time of writing, a search and rescue team comprising hundreds of first responders is scouring the icy waters to recover survivors as well as the casualties, though authorities are anticipating the operation to take days. Fatalities have been confirmed, though the exact number remains unclear.
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