Air traffic control audio has recorded the final moments before and after the crash.
A recording from LiveATC.net, a respected source for in-flight sound capture, captured the final communications between three crew members of the Blackhawk helicopter — call sign PAT25 — before the collision with the Bombardier CRJ-701 twin-engine jet.
"PAT25, do you have a CRJ in sight? PAT25, pass behind the CRJ," an air traffic controller said at 8.47 p.m. local time on Wednesday (01:47 GMT/UTC on Thursday).
Another aircraft called in to air traffic control seconds later, saying, "Tower, did you see that?" — apparently referring to the collision.
"Crash, crash, crash, this is an alert three," one of the air traffic controllers can be heard saying.
"I don't know if you caught earlier what happened, but there was a collision on the approach into [runway] 33. We're going to be shutting down operations for the indefinite future," another controller remarked.
"Both the helicopter and the plane crashed in the river," a third air traffic controller is heard saying.
"I just saw a fireball and then it was just gone. I haven't seen anything since they hit the river. But it was a CRJ and a helicopter that hit."
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Audio of Air Traffic Control and Ground Control at DCA regarding the American Airlines jet and the Blackhawk helicopter mid-air crash. pic.twitter.com/9O4jIzeYnY
In a post on social media platform Truth Social, US President Donald Trump seemed to blame the military helicopter for the accident which involves nearly 70 people on two aircrafts.
"The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport. 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," Trump wrote.
"This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!"
In another post, minutes later, he wrote: "What a terrible night this has been. God bless you all!"