Final Words Between Black Hawk Pilot And Instructor Before Deadly Jet Collision Revealed At Hearing

The final moments of the pilot behind the controls of a military helicopter that tragically collided with a commercial jet have now come to light during an official hearing.

On January 29, the skies over Washington DC became the scene of a devastating crash. A Black Hawk military helicopter slammed into an American Airlines plane, which had taken off from Wichita, Kansas, and was getting ready to land at Ronald Reagan National Airport.

Both aircraft ended up crashing into the Potomac River. What began as a rescue mission quickly turned into a recovery operation when it was confirmed that all 64 people on the passenger jet and the three people aboard the helicopter had lost their lives.

Fresh updates are now emerging surrounding the doomed helicopter flight, including newly released audio that captures the final exchange between the pilot and instructor inside the Black Hawk, just before the fatal impact.

On Wednesday, July 30, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) opened a hearing to investigate what led to the tragic accident. Captain Rebecca Lobach, 28, was identified as the pilot, while 39-year-old Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Eaves was her instructor on that flight.

Staff Sergeant Ryan O'Hara, also 28 years old, was flying with them. The helicopter was performing a nighttime evaluation flight to Fort Belvoir in Virginia at the time of the crash.

The helicopter and plane crashed midair Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images

As part of the hearing, an animated sequence showed how American Airlines Flight 5342 last made contact with air traffic control when it was instructed to switch runways, a change the pilots accepted.

Investigators noted that those onboard the Black Hawk may not have fully understood their exact location or altitude as they approached the airport.

Although helicopters in that area are required to stay at or below 200 feet in altitude, the Black Hawk far exceeded that limit. The animation showed it climbing from the mid-200s to more than 300 feet as it approached the airport runway.

The presentation shows the moments leading up to the crash NTSBgov

Officials involved in the investigation believe the helicopter crew may have thought they were flying lower than they actually were, likely due to a faulty altimeter. In some instances, they reported being about 100 feet lower than their real altitude.

To explore this further, the NTSB carried out tests on other helicopters from the same unit. Those tests also found inconsistencies with the barometric altimeters used in the aircraft, as shared during the hearing.

Alongside these findings, a transcript from the cockpit’s audio recording was shared, which included some chilling and somber moments from inside the helicopter.

During the 15-minute flight, Lobach and Eaves were heard casually chatting and laughing together. This suggested they might not have realized just how close they were to danger.

Throughout the flight, Eaves gave Lobach various instructions and pointers to help her steer the helicopter. At one point, she mentioned that the air traffic control communications sounded "pretty muffled."

Eaves also commented that the tower seemed unusually busy that evening, saying it appeared to be "stacked up tonight" with incoming and outgoing aircraft.

The wreckage being pulled from the Potomac River Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Roughly two and a half minutes before the crash occurred, Eaves told Lobach to descend to 200 feet since they were currently flying at 300 feet. This was captured in the animation shared at the hearing.

Air traffic controllers issued two warnings to the Black Hawk about the oncoming commercial jet. The first alert came two minutes before the collision, followed by a second warning 90 seconds later.

In both cases, the helicopter crew replied that they had visual contact with the passenger plane and asked for a "visual separation" clearance so they could maneuver around it.

Air traffic control approved that request and, just about 20 seconds before the crash, instructed the Black Hawk crew to "pass behind" the jet.

But investigators learned that this final command was never actually heard inside the helicopter. There was an audio disruption affecting the Black Hawk’s microphone system at that critical moment.

Only five seconds after that final warning, Eaves could be heard telling Lobach: "Alright, kinda come left for me ma'am, I think that's why he's asking."

Lobach responded: "Sure."

Eaves then said: "We're kinda out towards the middle." and Lobach replied: "Oh-kay, fine." with a drawn-out tone in her voice.

Their last conversation lasted just four seconds. Investigators later confirmed that the helicopter was flying at 270 feet in that moment, while the American Airlines jet was descending toward the runway at an altitude of just 320 feet.

The board discussed whether the helicopter crew were aware of its their real altitude NTSBgov

Scott Rosengren, the chief engineer who oversees the Army’s utility helicopters, shared his strong opinion during the hearing. He said that if he had the authority, he'd retire all the older Black Hawk helicopters like the one involved, citing concerns about outdated altimeter systems.

The investigation is still ongoing.