Air traffic controller shouts as American Airlines plane crashes into Black Hawk helicopter above Washington

An audio recording has captured the moment an air traffic controller screamed as a Black Hawk helicopter and American Airlines passenger jet crashed over DC.

Air traffic control (ATC) operators were directing the doomed Black Hawk Sikorsky H-60 helicopter – marked as a PAT 25 – to pass behind the plane just seconds before the deadly crash occurred.

‘PAT 2-5 do you have the CRJ in sight?’ one controller said, according to a recording of the final communication between ATC and the three helicopter crew members.

The controller spoke again, requesting: ‘Pat 2-5 pass behind the CRJ.’

Seconds later a haunting, audible gasp can be heard from the control tower as the passenger jet and helicopter collide in mid-air, before plummeting into the Potomac River.

‘Tower, did you see that?’ another aircraft called in, seemingly referencing the crash, as another person is heard saying: ‘Crash, crash, crash, this is an alert three.’

Versions of the extraordinary clip had already surfaced but the screams can be heard much clearer with audio levels adjusted to pick up background noise.

There were no survivors in Wednesday’s crash, which is the country’s deadliest aviation disaster since 2001. Over 40 bodies have been pulled from the icy waters of the river and recovery operations remain ongoing.

Authorities have not yet pinpointed a reason for the collision, but have said it could have been ‘prevented’. Insiders and a preliminary internal Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) report have also begun to reveal catastrophic failures that occurred leading up to the disaster.

The nearly minute-and-a-half recording – captured in the moments before and after the horrific crash – has emerged in the aftermath of the tragedy.

The muffled audio reveals the commands and confirmations are made between ATC operators, the helicopter crew and other aircraft in the area.

Immediately after the collision, the tower alerted other pilots of the terrifying crash and redirected planes approaching runway 33 at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to go around.

According to CNN, the controller said: ‘I don’t know if you caught earlier what happened, but there was a collision on the approach end 3-3. 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,’ the audio continued. ‘Let me know what you want to do.’

The tragic recording also revealed that another pilot had personally seen the crash confirmed the incident with an air traffic controller, CNN reported.

The pilot who witnessed the devastating collision said: ‘Yeah, we were on short final and we saw flares from the opposite side of the Potomac.’

According to NBC, a controller detailed what they saw in the moments after the incident, which was also captured in the audio. 

The operator said: ‘It was probably out in the middle of the river. Um, I just saw a fireball and then it was just gone. I haven’t seen anything since they hit the river.’ 

An approach controller later said: ‘Apparently both aircraft involved are in the river, a search and rescue will be ongoing.’

The collision took place as the American Airlines flight made its final approach to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport shortly before 9pm ET. 

That night, an air traffic controller was left to handle both helicopter traffic and manage planes – which should have been a divided duty – according to The New York Times. 

Those tasks are usually handled between two people from 10am until 9.30pm, according to the report. 

After 9.30pm the duties are typically combined and left to one person as the airport sees less traffic later in the night. 

A supervisor reportedly decided to combine those duties before the scheduled cutoff time however, and allowed one air traffic controller to leave work early. 

The FAA report said that staffing configuration ‘was not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic’.

It remains unclear why the supervisor allowed the worker to clock off early on Wednesday night, just before the midair collision.

It has also emerged that the Army helicopter, which was carrying three soldiers, involved in the collision might have also deviated from its approved flight path. 

The outlet again spoke with insiders that said the Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk helicopter was not on its approved route and flying higher than it should have been. 

Approval had been given for the helicopter to fly no higher than 200 feet along the east side of the Potomac River, where it would have avoided the passenger jet. 

The pilot of the helicopter confirmed sight of the American Airlines flight and was told to stick to their predetermined route and go behind the plane.

Sources said the pilot did not stick to the path however and was a half-mile off course as well as being at an altitude above 300 feet.

A senior Army official told The Times that the pilot of the Black Hawk had flown the route before and was well aware of the tight altitude restrictions and routes. 

As the jet approached the runway, those onboard had asked air traffic control to change their runway, according to an FAA report. 

The plane, a Bombardier CRJ700, had been cleared to touch down on Runway 1, the main airport thoroughfare, but the controller then asked the pilot to land on Runway 33. 

A source told The Times that such a move is routine especially with regional jets, and that the decision might have been made to prevent clogging on the main runway. 

Five current and former controllers also told the outlet that the lone controller in the tower should have been more proactive in directing the two away from each other.

The horrific accident prompted a large-scale search and rescue operation over the river that saw helicopters, boats and police searched the water and ground.

On Thursday morning officials confirmed all 67 on both the plane and helicopter had perished, with their rescue mission then becoming a recovery operation. 

Investigators made a break through later that night, after they had pulled 40 bodies to shore, when they found two black boxes from the American Airlines flight. 

They plan to push forward today with efforts to retrieve both the passenger plane and helicopter from the river.

A flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder were pulled from the river by salvage teams. This will be of monumental assistance to authorities as they investigate what exactly happened in the moments leading to disaster. 

The identities of those who died in the collision have started to trickle out, with DailyMail.com revealing the identities of the pilot and first officer. 

Among the crash victims were people from Russia, China, Germany and the Philippines, including young figure skaters.

Captain Jonathan Campos, 34, and First Officer Samuel Lilley had been in charge of the flight from Wichita, Kansas, to the capital.

Both flight attendants who were on that tragic flight have been revealed as Ian Epstein and Danasia Elder. 

At least three minors – including figure skaters Spencer Lane, 16, and Jinna Han – are among the victims who died.

Famed Russian skating couple Evgenia Shishkova, 53, and Vadim Naumov, 56, alongside Lane and Han’s mothers also tragically lost their lives in the crash.

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Eaves was aboard the Black Hawk helicopter alongside fellow soldier Ryan O’Hara. 

The Black Hawk helicopter was on a training flight at the time of the crash.

The National Transportation Safety Board is studying the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder from the CRJ700 airplane.

Radio communications showed that air traffic controllers alerted the helicopter about the approaching jet and ordered it to change course.

One controller rather than two was handling local plane and helicopter traffic on Wednesday night at the airport, a situation deemed ‘not normal’ but considered adequate for lower volumes of traffic, according to a person briefed on the matter.

The military said the maximum altitude for the route the helicopter was taking is 200 feet but it may have been flying higher. The collision occurred at an altitude of around 300 feet, according to flight tracking website FlightRadar24. 

American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said the pilot of the American Eagle Flight 5342 had about six years of flying experience. The Bombardier jet was operated by PSA Airlines, a regional subsidiary.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the helicopter was flown by a ‘fairly experienced crew’ of three soldiers who were wearing night-vision goggles on an annual training flight. 

Officials said they were grounding other flights from the Army unit involved in the crash and would reevaluate training exercises in the region.