Witness of American Airlines plane crash saw something 'looked very wrong' moments before collision
An eyewitness has recalled the devastating moments leading up to an American Airlines aircraft colliding with an army helicopter.
The incident, which unfolded last night (January 29), involved 67 people — 60 passengers, four cabin crew, and three soldiers.
Both aircrafts were heading for Washington DC's Ronald Reagan National Airport when they struck one another mid-air.
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The commercial flight was travelling from Wichita, Kansas, while those on the Black Hawk helicopter were doing a training exercise.
As officials continue to try and piece together what happened to cause the crash, eyewitnesses have been coming forward to share their first-hand accounts of what they saw.
One person to have spoken out is Ari Schulman, who had been driving along the George Washington Parkway – a route he often takes – when the tragedy unfolded.
Speaking to NBC Washington, Schulman said: "I always look [at the planes landing] when I'm driving home. It's always a really interesting, elegant sight. They're all nice and spaced out in a beautiful line when they're coming into land."
Going on to recall what's presumed to have been the American Airlines flight, Schulman described its route as looking 'totally normal' to him and, keen to see it land, so he turned back onto the road again.
"I wanted to get another look to try and see the plane land, so I turned back again a few seconds later and it looked very, very wrong," he recalled.
"[The plane] was turned hard to the right – maybe 90 degrees or more to the right. I could see the underside of the plane, and it was very, very dark out so you shouldn't be able to see the underside of a plane.
"But I could see it. It was illuminated bright yellow and there was a stream of sparks underneath it. It looked to me like a giant Roman candle."
At the time of writing, 19 bodies are reported to have been pulled from the Potomac River following last night's collision.
This figure is yet to be confirmed by officials, however.
It'll be a difficult task for divers to locate the remaining bodies, DC Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said.
"The challenges are access," he said. "The water that we’re operating in is about 8ft deep."
Donnelly continued: "There is wind, there is pieces of ice out there. So it’s just dangerous and hard to work in. And because there’s not a lot of lights, you’re out there searching every square inch of space to see if you can find anybody."
Everything we know so far about the American Airlines plane crash
What has American Airlines said about the crash?
The CEO of American Airlines, Robert Isom, issued a response to the incident as he explained he was travelling to DC with a specialist team to aid the investigation.
In a statement, the businessman said: "This is a difficult day for all of us at American Airlines and our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of our passengers, crew members, partners, first responders, along with their families and loved ones.
"I know that there are many questions. At this early stage, I'll not be able to answer all of them, but I do want to share the information I have at this time."
What has Donald Trump said about the American Airlines crash?
President Trump described the incident as a 'bad situation' that 'should have been prevented'.
"The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport," he wrote on Truth Social.
"The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time. It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn't the helicopter go up or down, or turn.
"Why didn't the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane. This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!! What a terrible night this has been. God bless you all!"
Dispatcher audio of aftermath of American Airlines crash released
Air traffic control audio has been released from the incident detailing the harrowing moment dispatchers witness the crash.
"The accident happened in the river. Both the helicopter and the plane crashed in the river," a man on the audio says. "It was probably out in the middle of the river. Um, I just saw a fireball and then it was just gone. I haven't seen anything since they hit the river.
"But it was a CR-J [the type of plane] and a helicopter that hit, I would say a half-mile of the approach."
Topics: American Airlines, Washington, Travel, News, US News
Niamh Shackleton