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New Delhi: Another chilling, never-before-seen footage of last year’s mid-air collision between a US Army Black Hawk and an American Airlines regional jet in January 2025 has surfaced online. 

The newly released video offers a grim new look at the catastrophe, which resulted in 67 fatalities and stands as the most lethal U.S. aviation disaster in recent history. 

A Systemic Failure in the Skies?

While the footage provides a visceral reminder of the loss, the broadcast also delved into the “systemic failures” cited in the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) final report.

What led to the incident?

It was revealed that the chopper was receiving incorrect altitude readings in the seconds before the worst US air disaster in more than two decades. 

The NTSB determined the accident was caused by the FAA's decision to allow helicopters to travel close to the airport with no safeguards to separate them from airplanes and its failure to review data and act on recommendations to move helicopter traffic away from the airport.

What earlier footage shows?

The nighttime CCTV footage captures the terrifying moment the aircraft intersect at low altitude over the city, culminating in a massive, blinding orange fireball that momentarily lit up the dark sky.

Last-minute communication

The investigation also brought to light the final, frantic radio exchanges between ground control and the flight crews in the moments leading up to the disaster.

Transcripts reveal that a mere 15 seconds before impact, air traffic control instructed the Black Hawk to pass behind the American Airlines jet after asking if they had it in sight. Tragically, this critical command never reached the cockpit because the helicopter crew was transmitting on the radio at the exact same moment, blocking the incoming warning.

‘Warning signs were all there’

A former Washington DC air traffic controller on duty the night of the fatal January 2025 mid-air collision involving an American Airlines plane and a US Army helicopter warned how there were “obvious holes” already in the system at the time of the disaster, as per news reports.

“The warning signs were all there,” Emily Hanoka told CBS 60 Minutes Sunday, revealing how controllers had identified safety concerns and staffers were forced to keep Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport moving, even though its capacity was being stretched.

Where was plane going?

The American Airlines plane was approaching the airport’s runway 33 when it collided with the Black Hawk helicopter, which was traveling south, over the icy river.

Just one day before the air disaster, two near misses were reported, CBS reported. One of those involved an American Airlines plane that left Norfolk. Between 2021 and 2024, 85 near mid-air collisions were reported.

(With reports from agencies)