The American Airlines plane crash claimed the lives of 60 travellers and four crew members on board
Another plane reportedly aborted its landing in Washington D.C. just a day before the fatal American Airlines crash.
60 passengers and four crew members were on board American Airlines Flight 5432, when it crashed into a military helicopter carrying three soldiers on Wednesday evening (29 January).
There were no survivors on the plane which had departed from Wichita, Kansas, and was landing into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington DC.
All three who were on the army helictopter Sikorsky H-60 – which had taken off from Fort Belvoir in Virginia – also died.
Now, The Washington Post claims to have previewed an audio recording from air traffic control, which suggests that Republic Airways Flight 4514 had to make a second approach on landing after a helicopter appeared in its flight path at the same airport on Tuesday (28 January), the day prior.
This was later confirmed by Republic Airways Corporate Communication spokesperson Jon Austin to USA Today.
The Daily Mail has also reported that Flightradar data shows the plane had to gain altitude when approaching Reagan National Airport.
The flight data shows the trajectory of the plane (FlightAware)
Thankfully, the aircraft which travelled from Windsor Locks in Connecticut to the city, was able to land safely.
This comes after the tragic announcement that elite young figure skaters, their parents and coaches were included in the 67 on board the American Airlines flight.
US Figure Skating said in a statement: “These athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas.
“We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts. We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available.”
The CEO of American Airlines, Robert Isom, added: “This is a difficult day for all of us at American Airlines and our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of our passengers, crew members, partners, first responders, along with their families and loved ones.
Investigations into the incident are ongoing (Petty Officer 1st Class Brandon Giles/ U.S. Coast Guard via Getty Images)
“I know that there are many questions. At this early stage, I’ll not be able to answer all of them, but I do want to share the information I have at this time.”
Meanwhile, President Trump described the incident as a ‘bad situation’ that ‘should have been prevented’.
“The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport,” he wrote on his social media site Truth Social. “The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time. It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn.
“Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane.
“This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!
“What a terrible night this has been. God bless you all!”
Featured Image Credit: Petty Officer 1st Class Brandon Giles/ U.S. Coast Guard via Getty Images
