It is believed that sixty -seven people died after a military helicopter plane hit the air near Ronald Reagan Airport in Washington, DC on Wednesday evening.

It is not clear the cause of the accident. Air tracking data appears to indicate that the helicopter was flying over the permitted height minutes before the collision. But the investigation continues to determine the error that occurred.

The authorities have regained aviation data from the US Airlines plane, and continued to find bodies in the Botomak Ice River, where the plane fell.

The plane, the Bombardier CRJ700, had traveled from Whitchita, Kansas. It was working as a 5342 American Airlines.

The US Army helicopter was Sikorsky H-60 ​​Black Hawk, which took off from Fort Belvoir in Virginia, and belongs to B, the twelfth aviation battalion.

It seems that the helicopter was flying over the permitted height, according to the analysis conducted by the American BBC partner, CBS News.

Air traffic control chat records proposed on the Internet suggested that a console tried to warn the helicopter from the US Airways plane in seconds before the collision.

The helicopter pilot seemed to respond to confirming that they were familiar with the plane, but a few moments later the two planes hit each other. Transport Minister Sean Duffy also said he believed the helicopter was familiar with the nearby plane.

After joining Duffy in a briefing on Thursday, Defense Minister Beit Higseth added that the helicopter was on an annual efficiency trip, where she conducted a night assessment – and the crew had night glasses.

The collision occurred at approximately 21:00 local time (02:00 GMT), with the plane approaching Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

One of the eyewitnesses, Ary Shuelman, told NBC Washington that the plane’s approach seemed natural, until he saw it as a difficult bank on the right, with the “sparks” that operate under the craft, which illuminates his stomach, which he believes it seems very “very” is a mistake “.

Another eyewitness, Jimmy Mazio, remember seeing something similar to “white glow” in the sky. He pointed out that the aircraft approaching the airport seemed to fly in “irregular patterns.”

After the effect, the passenger plane stormed multiple pieces and sank several feet in the river, while the helicopter ended upside down on the water.

Hundreds of first respondents have been published on rubber boats to search for survivors. The officials highlighted the difficult circumstances they worked in because of the ice that floats on the cold freezing river, and they compete with the wreckage of the plane.

They later said they did not expect any survivors to find their mission to focus on the restoration of bodies.

Details arise about 64 people on board, who included the upper skiers, as well as four crew members. Meanwhile, the helicopter was carrying three soldiers.

Emergency officials told the BBC:

Among the well -known people were the journey, a young pilot, a flight attendance, and a lawyer traveling home on her birthday.

It includes a group of nationalities – many of which have been identified by family members and organizations.

Among the skiers were six people linked to a club in Boston. The club said that two teenagers, their mothers and Russian coaches, Evjnia Shishkova and Vadim Numov, who were the former world champions in their sport.

The pilot of the plane, Jonathan Campus, was named by his aunt, who told the New York Times that aircraft was the dream of her nephew for life.

Ryan Ohara was the head of the helicopter, according to CBS.

It is still not clear the cause of the accident. Officials from the data registrar and the cockpit scorer – known as black boxes – will be discussed in potential contributing factors, including human error.

The National Transport Safety Council (NTSB) started the first full day of the investigation on Thursday and intends to issue a preliminary report within 30 days.

Higseth said he expected the investigation to determine whether the helicopter is flying in the corridor and the right height.

NTSB officials said on Thursday that the helicopter appears to be transmitted from one corridor to another in a standard maneuver.

As the official investigation continues, the New York Times reported that the employment of air traffic control is “not normal” at the time – referring to a preliminary report of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Two people usually run helicopters and aircraft flying in the area, but only one person was said to do so at the time of the accident, according to NYT and CBS.

The Washington Post and the CNN report only 24 hours before the deadly accident, another plane was forced to thwart its landing at the airport after a helicopter approached the flight course.

President Trump said on Friday that the Black Hawk helicopter was very high “a lot.”

“It was much higher than the 200 -foot. This is not really very complicated to understand it, is it ???” He said.

The helicopter appears to be flying above the limit, according to the available airline data that was analyzed by CBS News.

Flightradar24 data showed that the last estimated helicopter height was about 400 feet.

“Why is he on this day, on that trip, they were [as much as] Greg Vet, a former investigator of air safety, told CBS.

US Defense Secretary Beit Higseth told Sabah Fox News on Friday: “Someone was at a mistake.

“The investigation will help us to understand this. Was Black Hawk very high? Was that on the path? Now, we don’t know completely.”

Trump said earlier that the country was in mourning, before he continued to criticize his political opponents.

He speculated that the criteria had been reduced to employ air traffic monitors in the Federal Aviation Administration during my presidency Joe Biden and Parac Obama, claiming that this might be a disaster factor.

Trump said that he and his team were “strong opinions and ideas” about what happened, but he admitted that the investigation was at an early stage.

He also announced that he had appointed Chris Roshilo as a temporary head of FAA. The higher position there, as well as the position of the official and the deputy official, has been vacant since Trump took office.

The main accidents of this type are relatively rare in the United States. The latest similar collision was in 2009, according to a list of Reuters.

That year, a plane crashed into a landing approach in Boufalo, New York, killing all 49 people on board and one person on the ground.

Air field over Washington, DC, is busy and very controlled. It is used by local and international traffic using two airports, and there are additional factors of presidential flights, heavy military traffic and air flights around the Pentagon.

Sean Daily, a BBC transportation, said that passengers should follow fixed flight plans. Unlike the non -controlled airspace, military pilots work under strict instructions from air traffic monitors. But unlike their civilian counterparts, they have freedom to deviate and the duty to “see and avoid” other aircraft.