A shocking new video has surfaced showing a different angle of the catastrophic midair collision between an American Airlines passenger jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter, which left all 67 people aboard both aircraft dead near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday night.
The footage, obtained by CNN, captures the harrowing moment when the American Airlines plane, en route to land, intersects with the Army helicopter’s path. Within seconds, the two aircraft collide, triggering a fiery explosion before both plunge into the Potomac River.
A second video shows both aircraft traveling toward each other in what appears to be a horrifyingly inevitable trajectory. After impact, the airliner spirals uncontrollably before crashing into the water, while the Black Hawk follows suit in a similarly devastating descent.
As federal investigators scramble to determine the cause of the crash, speculation is mounting over the helicopter’s altitude at the time of impact.
WATCH:
CRASH VIDEO: New footage obtained by CNN. Sharing without comment. pic.twitter.com/6ADWdWho3K
— @amuse (@amuse) January 31, 2025
President Donald Trump weighed in on the situation early Friday morning, posting on Truth Social: “The Blackhawk helicopter was flying too high, by a lot. It was far above the 200-foot limit. That’s not really too complicated to understand, is it???”
Online discussions have erupted, with some questioning whether the helicopter should have even been in the flight path of the approaching jet. One X user was adamant: “There is literally no way that a military helicopter did not see the plane nor did it not have the ability to maneuver away from it quickly. This looks intentional.”
Others, however, pushed back on conspiracy theories, arguing that the crash was likely the result of miscommunication or pilot error.
“Given the CRJ was flying at approximately the 9 o’clock position to the helo, the helo did not make any sudden shifts,” wrote another user. “It would be VERY difficult to intercept the airplane intentionally.”
Law enforcement confirmed the recovery of at least 40 bodies, and the plane’s black boxes have been retrieved. President Trump described the deadly collision as “a tragedy of terrible proportions” during a Thursday morning briefing at the White House.
“This was a dark and excruciating night in our nation’s capital and in our nation’s history, and a tragedy of terrible proportions as one nation. We grieve for every precious soul that has been taken from us so suddenly,” Trump told reporters.
An internal report from the FAA revealed that staffing at the air traffic control tower at Reagan National Airport was “not normal” on the night of the accident. The controller on duty was reportedly handling responsibilities typically divided between two people.
The lone controller was left to monitor multiple aircraft in one of the busiest—and most sensitive—airspaces in the nation. An internal preliminary safety report by the FAA, reviewed by The New York Times, revealed that staffing at the air traffic control tower at Ronald Reagan National Airport was unusually low given the traffic volume and time of day.
