WATCH: NTSB animation shows flight paths of passenger plane and Army helicopter that crashed midair
An animation created by the National Transportation Safety Board shows the flight tracks of an American Airlines jet and Army Black Hawk helicopter that crashed midair in January 2025.
See the animation in the video player above.
The animation was shown Wednesday at a hearing in Washington, where investigators aim to uncover insights into what caused the crash between the American Airlines plane from Wichita, Kansas, and the Black Hawk helicopter over Ronald Reagan National Airport.
The video animation shows where the helicopter and airliner were leading up to the collision. It showed how the helicopter flew above the 200-foot altitude limit on the helicopter route along the Potomac River before colliding with the plane.
Investigators said the flight data recorder showed the helicopter was actually 80 feet to 100 feet higher than the barometric altimeter the pilots relied upon showed they were flying. So the NTSB conducted tests on three other helicopters from the same unit in a flight over the same area and found similar discrepancies in their altimeters.
The greater concern is that the FAA approved routes around Reagan airport that included such small separation distances between helicopters and planes when planes are landing.
However, it's likely too early for the board to identify what caused the crash.
