Investigation underway

Washington crash: inconsistency in flight altitudes

During the investigation into the collision between a passenger plane and a military helicopter in Washington, investigators discovered inconsistencies in the flight altitude data.(Bild: AP)

Investigators looking into the serious airplane collision in Washington have discovered an inconsistency in the flight altitude of the planes involved. On Wednesday evening, an American Airlines passenger plane collided with a military helicopter on landing at Ronald Reagan Airport. Both crashed. 

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said that according to data from the flight recorder, the passenger plane was at an altitude of 325 feet, or about 99 meters, at the time of the collision - plus or minus 25 feet, or 7.6 meters.

According to data from the control tower, the military helicopter was at an altitude of 200 feet, or about 61 meters.

Investigators are looking into the contradiction
It is not yet clear how this discrepancy in the stated flight altitudes came about. However, the data is still preliminary. The investigators are working on investigating the contradiction, it was said.

NTSB representative Todd Inman emphasized that there had also been differences of opinion within the team as to whether this information should be published at all before the issue was clarified.

Not all fatalities recovered yet
The collision at the US capital's airport was the most serious air crash in the USA for more than 20 years. There were 60 passengers and four crew members on board the crashed airliner. There were three crew members on board the helicopter.

According to the authorities, all 67 people died in the accident. Not all of the fatalities have yet been recovered.