David R. Martin, Associated Press David R. Martin, Associated Press. AP β Families of victims of the deadliest U. Dozens of people arrived in buses with a police escort close to where an American Airlines jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided Wednesday, killing all 67 aboard the two aircraft.
Federal investigators were working to piece together the events that led to the crash while recovery crews were set to pull more wreckage from the chilly water. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Sunday said he wanted to leave federal aviation investigators space to conduct their inquiry. Were they understaffed?
The American Airlines flight with 64 people on board was preparing to land from Wichita, Kansas. The Army Black Hawk helicopter was on a training mission and had three soldiers on board. Both aircraft plunged into the Potomac River after colliding. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas, and a group of hunters returning from a guided trip. Army Staff Sgt. Rebecca M. Lobach, of Durham, North Carolina, were killed in the helicopter.
The National Transportation Safety Board said Saturday that preliminary data showed conflicting readings about the altitudes of the airliner and the Army helicopter. But they did not say whether that change in angle meant that pilots were trying to perform an evasive maneuver to avoid the crash. Data in the control tower, though, showed the Black Hawk at feet 61 meters , the maximum allowed altitude for helicopters in the area. They also said they plan to refine the tower data, which can be less reliable.
Our team is working hard to gather this data. Sounds of impact were audible about one second later, followed by the end of the recording.
