A new video has gone viral on social media showing the moment when the wreckage of the American Airlines plane fell into the Potomac River in Washington after colliding with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter.
It has only been 24 hours since the tragic plane crash at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington D.C., and new details continue to emerge about the collision between an American Airlines plane and a military Black Hawk helicopter (H-60).
What can be seen in the new videos of the plane crash in Washington?
In the last few hours, exclusive videos showing unseen angles of the collision that left at least 67 people dead have gone viral.
The images, captured by security cameras and some witnesses who recorded with their cell phones, show the sequence of the crash in greater detail. In one of the videos, the helicopter can be seen flying at low altitude over the Potomac River with its red and green lights on. Suddenly, the military aircraft collides with the commercial plane, causing a strong explosion. After the collision, the passenger jet spins in the air and falls into the water, while the helicopter also crashes with its lights still on.
Another recording shows the moment the plane descends towards runway 33 of the airport, while the helicopter approaches from the opposite side, and in an instant, they end up colliding.
Authorities continue with search and rescue operations on the Potomac River, although they have already stated that they do not expect to find survivors. So far, they have managed to recover 40 bodies, while the investigation progresses to clarify the exact causes of the accident.
Meanwhile, researchers from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are still working to understand what led to a deadly collision. Todd Inman, a member of the NTSB, said it is too early to speculate on what exactly happened.
“We expect to have the preliminary report in 30 days. The overall investigation will probably take a year, but that’s because it has to be accurate,” Inman told CNN this Friday. “We’re not going to rush something just to put an end to some speculations.”