The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in the United States stated on Tuesday (February 4th) that the Army Black Hawk helicopter involved in the Washington DC air crash exceeded the allowed altitude.
On January 30th, a tragedy occurred near Washington DC’s Reagan National Airport, where an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with a plane belonging to an American Airlines subsidiary, resulting in the loss of 67 lives. This is considered one of the most serious civil aviation disasters in the United States in decades.
The altitude of these two aircraft is a focal point of investigators. They are currently trying to determine how the accident occurred and how to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
According to the NTSB, their latest data shows that at the time of the accident, the Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk helicopter was flying at an altitude of approximately 300 feet (91 meters), which is about 100 feet (30.5 meters) higher than the initial review of radar data. The organization stated that the latest assessment seen by air traffic controllers in the tower reflects inputs from multiple radar sensors and other data sources.
The NTSB mentioned that they will need to gather more information from the Black Hawk helicopter and are expected to obtain information once the helicopter is recovered from the water later this week.
In addition to altitude, investigators are also looking into the staffing situation at the air traffic control tower on the night of the accident and are reviewing the maintenance records of both aircraft.
The helicopter flight altitude near the crash site is restricted to within 200 feet (61 meters). Investigators previously revealed that the flight data recorder of the crashed plane measured an impact altitude of 325 feet (99 meters), with a margin of error within plus or minus 25 feet (7.6 meters).