Preliminary data from the deadliest US aviation accident in nearly 25 years showed conflicting readings about the altitudes of an airliner and Army helicopter when they collided, investigators said on Saturday.
Data from the jet’s flight recorder showed its altitude as 325 feet, plus or minus 25 feet, when the crash happened on Wednesday night near Reagan National Airport in Washington, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) officials told reporters.
Data in the control tower showed the Black Hawk helicopter at 200 feet at the time.
The discrepancy has yet to be explained.
Investigators hope to reconcile the altitude differences with data from the helicopter’s black box, which is taking more time to retrieve because it was waterlogged.
They also said they plan to refine the tower data, which can be less reliable.
“That’s what our job is, to figure that out,” said NTSB member Todd Inman, who grew increasingly agitated with reporters’ questions seeking more information and clarity about the readings during a Saturday evening news conference.
He acknowledged that there was dissension within the investigative team about whether to release the information or wait until they had more data.
There were no survivors from the collision, which occurred as an American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas, carrying 64 people was preparing to land at Ronald Reagan National Airport, just across the Potomac River from the nation’s capital, and hit an Army Black Hawk helicopter that apparently flew into the jet’s path.
The helicopter had three soldiers on board
“This is a complex investigation,” said Brice Banning, NTSB investigator in charge. “There are a lot of pieces here. Our team is working hard to gather this data.”
The remains of 42 people had been pulled from the river by Saturday afternoon, including 38 that had been positively identified, Washington emergency officials said.
They expect to recover all of the remains, although the wreckage of the plane’s fuselage will probably have to be pulled from the water to retrieve all the bodies.
