The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will release data on Monday from last week’s midair collision between an American Airlines (AAL.O) regional jet and a U.S. Army helicopter over the Potomac River, which killed 67 people, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy told Fox News.
“We are not ruling out any information. We’re collecting everything needed to evaluate this accident,” Homendy said.
The Army Corps of Engineers has started lifting the wreckage from the river, a process expected to take over a week. The debris is being moved to a hangar at Washington Reagan National Airport. Much of the Potomac remains restricted, and two lesser-used runways at the airport are closed.
Investigators found that the CRJ-700 airplane was at about 325 feet (99 meters) at the time of impact. This suggests that the Army Black Hawk helicopter was above 200 feet (61 meters), the maximum altitude for its route.
“DC radar showed the helicopter at 200 feet, but it updates every five seconds,” Homendy said, adding that the NTSB is gathering more precise altitude data.
Air traffic control had alerted the helicopter to the jet’s presence two minutes before the crash.
By Sunday, officials had positively identified 55 of the 67 victims. Relatives of some victims visited the crash site along the river.
Also read: FAA Restricts DC Helicopter Flights After Deadly Midair Crash
