‘I just saw a fireball and then it was gone.’ Recordings tell part of DC crash tragedy
“It was probably right out in the middle of the river. I just saw a fireball and then it was gone; I haven’t seen anything since they hit the river. But it was a CRJ and a helicopter that hit, I would say maybe a half-mile off the approach into (runway) 33.”
That was how a ground controller at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., described to rescuers the crash of American Airlines Flight 5342.
The plane took off from Wichita at 5:39 p.m. Central Time, according to FlightAware.com. It crashed into the Potomac River about 2 1/2 hours later after colliding with an Army helicopter over Washington.
As I write this, about 4 a.m. Thursday, we don’t know yet know how many people were killed when the Bombardier CRJ-700 regional passenger jet went down.
We do know there were 60 passengers and four flight crew members on board the plane, and three soldiers in the Army Blackhawk helicopter.
Fatalities have been confirmed but not yet counted. At this hour, the death toll is expected to be grim.
To learn what I could about the disaster, I spent the late hours Wednesday night and the early hours Thursday morning listening to recordings of radio traffic at Reagan National, via the website liveatc.net, which streams and archives communications from airports across the country.
Flight 5342 was on approach, and the last transmission to the plane was a routine clearance to land, along with the wind speed and direction.
The two aircraft collided while a controller was giving directions to another plane, and you could hear exclamations in the background — a long “oooohh,” and “Oh my . . .” before the microphone cut off.
In the minutes that followed, some controllers waved off other incoming flights, while others helped coordinate the emergency response.
“Everybody, uh, just hold your positions on the field right now,” instructed a ground controller. “Everybody’s going to have to hold for now, I’ll get back to you just as soon as I can.”
Once the planes stopped moving, she coordinated with rescuers:
“Is the airfield closed?” asked one first responder.
“Yes the airfield is closed,” the controller responded.
“The runways as well?”
“Yes, all runways are closed. Nobody’s landing, no one’s moving at all. You have clearance through the whole field, all taxiways and runways.”
Another channel was directing helicopter traffic, diverting airborne choppers to land at Washington’s Dulles Airport, Baltimore and Andrews Air Force Base.
Two helicopter pilots, designated Blackjack 1 and Blackjack 3, stayed to help with the rescue effort.
Their call signs would imply they’re part of the Blackjack Squadron, a Coast Guard helicopter unit that’s part of the capital’s air defense.
Flying unarmed choppers, the Blackjacks patrol the heavily restricted airspace over Washington, intercepting and warning off planes that violate the rules, according to a CBS News profile of the unit.
Just after the Flight 5342 crash, an airport controller asked the pilots “Are you able to assist with search and rescue?”
“We’re not a search and rescue unit, but we’re able to help out with whatever you need. We’ve got plenty of fuel,” one of the pilots responded.
“Do you have any searchlights on board, or anything that could help with getting light down at the east end of the field?”
“We have just like standard hover lights, but we’re able to search.”
They stayed with it until better-equipped air units arrived at the scene and took over.
In my long career, I’ve covered a dozen or so plane crashes. This is the first time I’ve tried to piece the story together from half a continent away. But as Wichita journalists, we are compelled to try.
Last week, our city was honored and delighted to host the U.S. National Figure Skating Championships at the Intrust Bank Arena — the first time it has ever been held in Kansas.
But today, the citywide joy we felt a week ago turns to mourning, after U.S. Figure Skating confirmed that participants in our ice extravaganza were among the passengers of Flight 5342.
“These athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships,” the organization said in a statement.
My wife Kathy and I went to the event Saturday, and we sat right next to a group of tweens and teens who’d traveled here as part of the competition and training. They happily chattered and cheered, waving colorful signs they’d made exalting the world-class competitors that all young skaters aspire to be like.
I’ll wonder, but I’ll never know, if those enthusiastic, happy kids we sat by went down with the plane.
As U.S. Figure Skating put it: “We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts.”
As a community, we are devastated too. In addition to our visiting skaters and their families, there’s little doubt that when the picture clarifies, we’ll have lost friends, neighbors and loved ones.
I think I speak for all of Wichita this morning when I say our most fervent hopes and prayers are with all those whose lives were lost, and those whose lives will be forever changed, by the tragedy of Flight 5342.
This story was originally published January 30, 2025 at 5:30 AM.
