Flight data from American Airlines crash reveals key information about Black Hawk helicopter's collision with plane

Flight data retrieved from the night a Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines plane collided mid-air has revealed key information about the moment the tragedy took place.

Investigations into the crash are ongoing after the two aircraft collided on January 29, when the American Airlines regional jet was on approach to land at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, DC.

Before the plane made it to the runway, it collided with a US Army Black Hawk and both aircraft went plunging into the nearby Potomac River, resulting in the deaths of everybody on board.

There were no survivors of the plane crash (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Responders have now recovered all 67 bodies from the river, including 64 people from the plane and three people who were on the helicopter. Meanwhile, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has been sharing regular updates on its investigation, the most recent of which came after it obtained flight tracking data from the night of the crash.

In a press release on February 4, the NTSB said the data showed the Black Hawk was at 300 feet on the air traffic control display at the time of the collision, according to figures rounded to the nearest 100 feet.

The height of the Black Hawk is noteworthy because helicopters flying in the National Capital Region have a 200-foot ceiling, indicating the Black Hawk had exceeded this limit. However, the NTSB has noted that because the data is rounded to the nearest 100, the helicopter could have been flying anywhere between 251 feet and 349 feet at the time of the crash.

The helicopter was flying above the 200-foot limit ( Al Drago/Getty Images)

The board needs additional information from the Black Hawk to verify data points, but this can only be obtained when the helicopter is recovered from the water; a task set to take place later this week.

Sections of the American Airlines flight that have so far been recovered include the right wing, center fuselage, part of the left wing and left fuselage, as well as 'significant portions of the forward cabin and cockpit'.

The news from the NTSB comes just days after the board revealed a last-minute manoeuvre had been made by the American Airlines pilots prior to the crash.

Todd Inman, an official of the NTSB, said at a press conference on February 1: "At one point very close to the impact, there was a slight change in pitch, an increase in pitch."

As the investigation continues, both maintenance records for the Black Hawk and cockpit voice records for both aircraft are being reviewed.