Additional Coverage:
Newly released video footage provides a shockingly clear view of the moment a commercial airliner and an Army helicopter collided over the Potomac River. The footage, obtained by CNN, reportedly comes from cell phone recordings of surveillance cameras.
One clip shows the helicopter rapidly approaching the plane before the devastating midair impact, which resulted in a massive fireball. Debris can then be seen falling into the river below.
A second clip offers a similarly disturbing close-up perspective of the collision.
American Airlines Flight 5342 was carrying 60 passengers, including members of the U.S. ice skating team, and 4 crew members. The Black Hawk helicopter had 3 military personnel on board. All 67 people aboard both aircraft perished in the crash.
Rescue crews have recovered numerous bodies from the river, but reports indicate that at least 14 victims remain unaccounted for.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are leading the investigation. The plane’s black box has been recovered, but the cause of the crash is still under investigation.