Horrific, newly released video shows the moment a passenger jet and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter collided in Washington, DC, early this year, as it was revealed that the chopper was receiving incorrect altitude readings in the seconds before the worst US air disaster in more than two decades.
The National Transportation Safety Board showed the harrowing video of the Jan. 29 crash over the Potomac River as the agency kicked off a three-day hearing into the deadly crash.
The nighttime CCTV footage shows the aircraft enter a heart-stopping collision course at low altitude above the city before they crash in a blinding orange explosion that illuminated the night sky.
All 67 passengers aboard both aircraft were killed — 64 on American Airlines Flight 5342 and three on the Black Hawk.
Also revealed was some of the last-minute communication between ground and air crews before the tragedy.
Three minutes before the crash, Chief Warrant Officer Andrew Eaves told Capt. Rebecca Lobach to “come down for me” because the helicopter was flying too high.
The NTSB says it believes the chopper crew thought they were flying 100 feet lower than their actual altitude because of a faulty altimeter reading.
