Elise Schumacher | staff writer

It was 9 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 29. The temperature was low, the sky pitch-black. American Eagle Flight No. 5342 was mid-descent into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. At the same altitude, a United States Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter was approaching swiftly. The two aircraft collided in a brilliant flare of light — then they fell out of the sky, descending into the icy waters of the Potomac River. There were no survivors. According to Time Magazine, this marks the deadliest commercial air disaster since 2001.

The collision is still under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). However, mounting data implies the Black Hawk may share responsibility with air traffic control at Reagan National Airport.

On Friday, federal investigators recovered the jet’s black boxes, revealing crucial evidence. Black box data is the most important forensic evidence following a plane crash. This includes the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder, tools that will help the NTSB analyze what may have caused the crash. Using this data, the NTSB confirmed on Tuesday that the aircraft was flying at around 300 feet at the time of the crash. The maximum altitude for these flights is 200 feet. According to the New York Times, the helicopter was not only flying above 300 feet, but was also at least a half-mile off the approved route.

A 3D-model created by The Times shows what the helicopter’s three soldiers saw moments before the impact. The looming question: were they wearing their night-vision goggles? According to a statement from the Pentagon, the three soldiers did carry night-vision goggles on the flight, but the NTSB claims it is unclear whether they were wearing them at the time of the crash. However, Mike Sagely, a veteran Black Hawk pilot, told The New York Times that if they were using them, the brightness of the many lights around the high traffic area above the airport may have hidden the plane from view.

For the Army, the crash is not a standalone occurrence. At least 18 people have died in helicopter incidents, according to another New York Times article. Last year, in the span of three months, five separate helicopter crashes occurred; two of these involved Black Hawk helicopters.

According to Sagely, the collision signals multiple failures. By law, the plane should have been prepared with its collision avoidance system. A key question is whether this was installed in the Black Hawk, and if so, what kind it was. This system is known as Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast. An additional safeguard is the Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System, which, if equipped, should have alerted the pilots.

A separate factor was air traffic control staffing at the airport. In a recent article, The New York Times explains how the single air traffic controller on duty was forced to take on a two-person job. Apparently, the supervisor allowed another air traffic controller to leave early, according to a person briefed on the staffing and an internal safety report. Because they were meant to guide the planes, their absence forced the remaining air traffic controller to handle both helicopter and airplane traffic. The staffing was not normal, and it is unclear why the supervisor chose this course of action that night.

President Donald Trump was quick to point fingers in all the wrong directions. Like usual, he shouted baseless accusations, connecting non-existent dots in support of his own biases. In a press conference late Wednesday night, he released statements blaming diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), a workplace diversity initiative set in place by the Biden administration. When reporters inquired further, he engaged in his typical idiosyncrasies and filibustering, going on tirades about the Biden administration. He linked completely separate things in a break from reality that can only be attributed to the sheer lunacy that’s ever more pronounced the older he becomes. On one of his — sadly — less bizarre tirades, he suggested the crash was somehow caused by diversity and equity initiatives.

“… For an air traffic controller, we want the brightest … the sharpest … somebody that’s psychologically superior,” he said on Jan 29.

It seems he is saying that only white American men are capable of working as air traffic controllers. Statements like these are not only harmful, but completely ludicrous, contributing to the rapid fire of misinformation that surrounds times of crisis. It further exemplifies the president’s bizarre interactions with the public and open antagonism of minorities.

Despite the freezing cold, hundreds have embarked on an expansive rescue process. Braving ice and freezing water, rescuers flocked to the Potomac River on the salvaging mission. Slowly, parts of the wreckage, and the bodies of the dead, were gathered. The whole process has been extremely grueling.

Authorities say they have now recovered all the 67 victims from the river, with one of them remaining unidentified. The majority of the passengers were young figure skaters returning from an elite training camp in Wichita, Kan. According to figure skater and former Olympian Polina Edmunds, who attended the camp, the collision has shaken the figure skating community. Other passengers include Bob and Lori Schrock, two married farmers from Kiowa, Kan.; a mother and her 12-year-old daughter, Vrielle and Justyna Beyer and Washington-based attorney, Elizabeth Keys, and more.

In an article published by The Washington Post, radio transmissions from the control tower in the minutes leading up to the crash were analyzed by several aviation experts. They determined that it is possible the helicopter saw another aircraft in the area, rather than the American Airlines flight, although it was flagged twice by air traffic control.

Shortly after 8:47 p.m., control tower audio captured the sound of a conflict alert. The air traffic controller asked the helicopter if they had the plane in sight. The helicopter responded that they did have the aircraft in sight, confirming they were aware of the plane, for the second time. They requested “visual separation,” meaning that the helicopter would keep a safe distance from the jet.

At this point, all communications ended.

Twelve seconds later, the deadly crash burned up the night sky: a bright orange flare, gone in an instant.