Within minutes of confirmation that a US Army UH-60 helicopter Sikorsky UH-60 collided with a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet on an approach to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in our nation’s capital on Wednesday night, sniveling left-wing media scolds — with CNN predictably leading the way — disgustingly tried to blame President Donald Trump and his administration for the disaster.
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On the other side, the conspiracy crowd predictably began to float wild theories, either directly or by insinuation. In both cases, contempt prior to investigation was again on full display.
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Now, newly released audio reveals the moment Reagan Air Traffic Control (ATC) saw the fireball caused by the collision. The audio also appears to reveal the first thing that went horrifically wrong.
In the ATC audio, a controller can be heard directing American Airlines Flight 5342 (referred to as “CRJ”) to take Runway 33. The controller then instructs the helicopter (referred to “PAT25”) to pass behind the jet.
Here’s how the audio occurred:
“PAT25, do you have the CRJ in sight? PAT 25 pass behind the CRJ,” the controller says.
No response is heard on the ATC audio feed. Fox News has learned that the helicopter did respond, but on a different frequency, a frequency for helicopters.
About 40 seconds later ground traffic control alerted the tower.
“Tower Did you see that?”
“Yup we saw it,” someone from the tower says, and then the controllers begin the process of frantically diverting the flights.
“Everybody hold your positions on the field right now,” a female controller says.
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All hell then broke loose:
“Fire command. The accident happened in the river. Both the helicopter and the plane crashed in the river… he approached into Runway 33,” she says.
“All runways are closed. Nobody’s landing, no one moving at all,” she tells the fire command, adding that he has clearance to use all taxiways and runways for a response.
“It was probably out in the middle of the river, the controller says. “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 CRJ and a helicopter that hit, I would say about a half mile off the approach into 33,” she says.
The Army told Fox News Digital that the Black Hawk helicopter, carrying three soldiers, was “from Bravo Company, 12th Aviation Battalion, out of Davison Army Airfield, Fort Belvoir” and was conducting a “training flight.”
The regional jet carried 60 passengers and four crew members.
By daylight, the rescue mission became a recovery mission, with no survivors expected.
The collision was the first plane crash involving a US commercial flight since 2009.
The Bottom Line
As extensive investigation into what caused the horrendous crash continues, let us hope that conclusive evidence leads to an undeniable conclusion.
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Meanwhile, the left will continue to gleefully point their collective fingers at all things President Trump and his administration, while conspiracy theorists will undoubtedly continue to cling to their conspiracies. A shame in both cases, but that’s where we now find ourselves.
